Location: Lake Lucherberg – open-cast mine III

On 1 June 1917, work began southeast of the Lucherberg-Luchem road on the development of opencast mine III – later to become Lake Lucherberg. The chain railway from open-cast mine III to the briquette factory was laid in a tunnel under Luchemer Straße, then along the embankment of open-cast mine II (today Talstraße), across today’s Goltsteinstraße and into the yard of the briquette factory.
This third open-cast mine is the largest around Lucherberg alongside open-cast mines I (Goltsteinkuppe) and II (Siedlung). Coal was mined here to a depth of 25 metres until 1930.
For many years, the water of the Wehebach served as an inflow for the lake in the exhausted open-cast mine, whose water level was originally adjusted to the groundwater and was no higher than the retention basin opposite the Waagmühle.

From 1954/55, the pumping station was built on the east side of the lake and the dam was raised. Water was now pumped from the Rur near Schophoven into the open-cast mining hole and served as cooling and process water for the Weisweiler power plant.
At around 9 million cubic metres, the lake was the largest lake in the Düren district at the time and served as a recreational area for the fishing and sailing club for many years.
Swimming was never permitted, yet thousands enjoyed carefree the hot summers on and in the water. Many probably learnt to swim here.
The lake was pumped out in 2024 to prevent its water from leaking into the neighbour Inden open-cast mine. As part of the planning for the ‘Indesee’, the ‘Lucherberg Lagoon’ is to be created there..