Name change - New name for open-cast mining village: Morschenich-Alt becomes Bürgewald
Name Change at the Lignite Open-Cast Mine Hambach: The village Morschenich-Alt will bear the name Burgewald in the future. The employees of the Landesbetrieb Straßen.NRW exchanged the signage at the village entrance.
This change is related to the premature exit from the funding of lignite mining. As it was decided that Morschenich would not be mined under the coal layer, the village was already deserted. A large part of the old residents had moved - to Morschenich-Neu.
The community Merzenich, to which both the old and the new village belong, celebrates the end of resettlement on Saturday (6. July). Then, the officially approved renamings will be announced: Morschenich-Alt will henceforth be called "Burgewald" and Morschenich-Neu will simply be "Morschenich". The village sign of Morschenich-Alt is history. "It will certainly not be thrown away," said a representative of the community.
Named after a woodland
Burgewald, named after a woodland nearby, is to be developed into a "future village" with the support of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 10,000-inhabitant community Merzenich has bought back the land from RWE and intends to further develop the area. Former residents can buy back their houses under certain conditions. The lignite mine Hambach is to become a recreational lake later.
The new Morschenich is located three and a half kilometers airline from the former village location to the east of Merzenich. The resettlement started at the end of 2013. At that time, almost 500 people were involved, of whom more than half live at the new location today. The others are mostly in the Merzenich community or elsewhere in the Kreis Düren district.
- The decision to rename Morschenich-Alt to Burgewald is a significant step towards the transformation of the region, as Burgewald will become a future village with the support of Energy-providing State enterprise, North Rhine-Westphalia.
- The lignite State enterprise, Landesbetrieb Straßen.NRW, played a crucial role in the process of renaming Morschenich-Alt, as they exchanged the signage at the village entrance due to the premature closure of Opencast lignite mining in the area.
- The construction of a recreational lake at the former lignite mine Hambach is one of the initiatives of the Merzenich municipalities, aimed at attracting tourists and providing recreational opportunities for local communities, utilizing the abundant Lignite resources in the region.
- The new Morschenich, located east of Merzenich, was built as part of a resettlement plan due to the closure of the Opencast lignite mining operation in Hambach, allowing the municipalities to redevelop the area and create new opportunities for residents.
- Despite the end of mining activities in Hambach, the legacy of lignite continues to impact the region, as former residents have the opportunity to buy back their houses under certain conditions, allowing them to once again live near the area that has been a significant part of North Rhine-Westphalia's industrial history.
