Bertzit Tower
Bertzit Tower is an investment ruin in the north of Kahla, which belongs to Plessa in the southern part of Brandenburg, itself part of the Elbe-Elster region. The tower was built in the 1920s in close proximity to mine Ada, intended to be used in the processing of brown coal. The remains of the plant now stand under conservation, along with other industrial buildings from the nearby brown coal mine. The 35-meter high industrial monument is visible from afar in the lowlands of the Schwarze Elster area. History Historical background German industrialization in the mid 19th century began with the discovery of brown coal deposits (also known as lignite) and the construction of the first railway tracks in the Elbe-Elster region. Lieutenant Colonel Hermann von Ploetz, a Prussian aristocrat who had resided on an estate in Doellingen near Elsterwerda since 1856, ordered his servants to drill for lignite on his property. The drilling was successful and thus, on April 1, 1857, lignite was extracted from a shaft known as Emilia a little east of Doellingen, which was the first time underground mining was carried out in the vicinity. However, the mine did not exist very long. Shortly afterwards, various additional