For 30 years, from the beginning of the Second World War in 1940 until 1970, brown coal was extracted in the Søby Brown Coal Beds. Workers flocked to the area and settled with their families in sheds, wooden houses, and decommissioned buses. A somewhat lawless, Klondike-like community emerged.
Søby Lake, north of the brown coal beds themselves, is privately owned and is the only natural lake in the area. Unlike most of the lakes in the brown coal beds, it has a varied animal and plant life.
East of the lake, Herning Municipality has been given permission to establish a public barbecue and rest area, where you can also swim in the lake.
Please note that you are only allowed to use the marked roads and paths in the area. There is a risk of landslides outside the marked areas.
57 memorial stones bear witness to Denmark’s most dangerous workplace. Many were buried alive when the sand collapsed in the open excavations, or accidents occurred involving equipment, wells, high voltage, and explosives.
The site is beautifully located on the museum grounds.
The museum opened in 1977 and tells the story of lignite mining from 1940 to 1970. It does so through photos, objects, and tools from the period. The museum has three authentic workers’ homes from the 1940s, a grocery store, an assembly hall, a dining hall, and many machines.
During the busiest periods, as many as 5,000 workers were employed in the Søby Brown Coal Beds.
In the southern part of the lignite beds, there is a 30-metre-high viewpoint with a good overview of the distinctive landscape. The trees at the top are kept low, so there are views in all directions.
The viewpoint is on top of a so-called end tip. This means that no lignite has been mined beneath it, and it is therefore safe to walk on.
