Excavator 1452 weighs approximately 1,300 tonnes.
The machine was originally commissioned in 1960 for the Berzdorf surface mine.
The central bucket wheel is equipped with ten individual buckets, each capable of holding significant volumes of overburden.
Its total height reaches nearly 30 meters, roughly equivalent to a ten-story building.
The machine was part of a fleet that collectively moved millions of cubic meters of earth to expose coal seams.
The site is integrated into the transformation of the former coal mine into the recreational Berzdorfer See lake area.
It remains one of the few surviving pieces of heavy machinery from the Berzdorf mining era still standing in its original landscape.
Bucket-Wheel Excavator 1452 is a retired industrial mining machine preserved as a landmark in the former Berzdorf open-cast mine near Görlitz. Standing as one of the largest movable technical monuments in the region, the excavator represents the history of lignite mining in Upper Lusatia. The machine was manufactured in the former GDR and played a vital role in extracting coal until the mine's closure in the late 1990s. Visitors can explore the massive structure, which features a distinct series of buckets mounted on a rotating wheel designed for continuous earth excavation. The site is maintained by the Verein Bergbaulicher Zeitzeugen, a local association dedicated to preserving industrial heritage. It serves as an open-air museum where visitors can observe the scale and engineering complexity of massive mining equipment.
Position yourself on the path slightly to the south of the excavator to capture the entire scale of the machine against the backdrop of the Berzdorfer See.
Wear sturdy, closed-toe footwear as the ground surrounding the exhibit can be uneven or dusty.
Bring binoculars if you intend to observe the finer mechanical details from the ground level.
Check the local association website for guided tour availability, as technical access to the interior may vary.
Do not attempt to access restricted mechanical parts or crawl under the base of the excavator.
The site is generally accessible, but access to internal guided tours or specific viewing platforms is often seasonal; check the association website for operational days.
Do not climb on the machine structure; remain within designated viewing areas and pathways.
