Brown coal mining - Villages near the Coal Mine: Ex-Residents Want to Buy Back Houses
Multiple dozens of former residents from the largely deserted villages near the Garzweiler Browncoal Mine have expressed interest in repurchasing their former ownership properties. Thirty-nine statements of intent to buy back previously used residential property were submitted, according to the city of Erkelenz. Four of these, however, have since been withdrawn. Inspections are being scheduled in the houses owned by RWE Power AG. Following this assessment, an independent appraiser will determine the market value of the houses and the purchase price.
Five villages can remain
The deadline for exercising a right of first refusal was July 1, 2022. This applied to former residents and their children who had sold their previously owned homes as part of the resettlement. However, due to the changed planning, five villages can remain near the Mine. The houses in the villages of Keyenberg, Kuckum, Oberwestrich, Unterwestrich, and Berverath are mostly empty. Of the original 1500 residents, approximately 200 still live there. The mining pit is planned to be transformed into a lake later.
The process of planned renaming is also ongoing. The names of the resettled villages at the new location still bear the "neu" suffix. As of July 1, 2026, this suffix is to be removed. To avoid having multiple villages with the same name within the Erkelenz city limits, renamings are planned. The residents of the old and new villages are being invited to submit proposals for all locations. Ultimately, the city council will make the decision.
The process of finding new names is scheduled to begin in early 2025. "The goal is to make a decision about the future names before the summer break in 2025," a city spokesperson stated. At the nearby Hambach Mine, the village of Morschenich-Alt was renamed to Bürgewald in early July. The name Morschenich now belongs to the new village where the resettled village residents live.
Development of villages near the mine border
- The abandoned villages close to the Garzweiler Brown coal mining site in Erkelenz, North Rhine-Westphalia, were once bustling with activity, but now, residents from these areas show interest in repurchasing their former properties from RWE.
- Despite the interest, only 35 statements of intent for property buybacks have been submitted, with four withdrawals, leaving 31 potential homes for repurchase near the open-pit mining area.
- The redevelopment of villages near the mine boundary is also under consideration, with plans to transform the mining pit into a lake and preserve five communities, namely Keyenberg, Kuckum, Oberwestrich, Unterwestrich, and Berverath.
- Society's involvement in the renaming process of these resettled villages near RWE's Garzweiler Mine is crucial, with residents invited to propose new names for their communities to maintain distinct identities within the Erkelenz commune.
