Over the last 300 years, brown coal has been used for energy and heating around Leipzig. Enormous open-air mines to the south and east of town provided a seemingly endless supply of the low-quality coal, which was in high demand even into the 1990s, before coal-heated houses were updated in former East Germany. As demand dropped and exhaustion of the mines, the problem of what to do with these massive gaping holes in the landscape became as big as the holes themselves. This led to an ambitious plan: flood the barren moonscape with water, plant forests and develop a holiday resort and recreation infrastructure around it. The result is the Neuseeland (a play on the German words for New Zealand and ‘new lakeland’) area, which curves from the west down to the south end of Leipzig. It has become an instant success with locals and tourists alike. The transformation of these once desolate areas is just beginning, however, and a total of 17 lakes - not all for public use - are planned for the future.