Energiefarbik Knappenrode

The museum Energiefabrik Knappenrode – Industrial monument and factory settlement on course correction The Briquette factory Werminghoff went into operation in 1918 as one of the most modern factories in Europe. More than 100 years later, the briquette factory is the only contemporary testimony of lignite processing in Upper Lusatia. Integrating a historic industrial plant into a former factory development and creating new use spaces in compliance with monument protection was the challenge of the measures at the Energiefabrik Knappenrode. Briquette factory and factory settlement have developed into a unique location of industrial culture in Hoyerswerda and Lusatia. Visitors and residents experience a unique interplay of factory, settlement and the landscape characterized by coal mining. In 1993, the briquette factory stopped the production of lignite briquettes and carbon charcoal. The machines have been stationary for over 25 years. But the coal dust still sticks to the walls today. In 2008, the district of Bautzen became the owner of the Energiefabrik Knappenrode. By 2020, the former briquette factory has been transformed into a modern, cultural and tourist highlight.