ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the heritagisation of post-mining landscapes in Lusatia (Germany), with a special focus on the region’s Sorbian minority, one of the four legally recognised minorities in the country. Following the initiation of the mining industry in the 1860s, approximately two-thirds of the historical and current area of Sorbian settlement has overlapped with the open-cast mining area in Lusatia. The landscape of this region is thus deeply marked by ruptures, continuities, and interweavings of ‘Sorbian’ and ‘industrial’ features. In 2021, the federal state of Brandenburg submitted a tentative application for UNESCO World Heritage status. However, the site was not included in Germany’s final list of proposed sites. Following a brief discussion on historical contextualisation, this chapter analyses the possibilities and limitations of incorporating a minority-adjusted perspective into the heritagisation of post-industrial landscapes. Focussing on minority participation, it highlights the challenges of developing World Heritage schemes for landscapes of energy.
