The Black Triangle ( German : Schwarzes Dreieck ) is the border region between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, long characterized by extremely high levels of pollution. The term was coined in the 1980s. For decades, industrially produced air pollutants (chiefly sulfur dioxide ), water pollution, acid rain and other effects took an enormous toll on the health of local residents and the surrounding environment.
16-607: (Redirected from Black Triangle ) Black triangle may refer to: Places [ edit ] Black Triangle (region) , across Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, long characterized by extremely high levels of pollution Black triangle, the nickname given to the area south of Montreal affected by a long term blackout during the January 1998 North American ice storm Other uses [ edit ] Black triangle (badge) ,
32-605: A Nazi concentration camp badge worn by inmates deemed "asocial" Black triangle, an LGBT symbol reclaimed from the Nazi use Angularis nigra (Latin for 'black angle'), triangular gap between teeth Black triangle (pharmacovigilance) , suffixed to the trade name of British medicines when the drug is new on the market Black triangle (UFO) , a type of UFO Black triangle, several code points in Unicode Geometric Shapes Topics referred to by
48-542: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Black Triangle (region) After the Revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe, the three nations acted to cut emissions. This has resulted in significant environmental improvement. In shape the "triangle" is more similar to a crescent, an industrial corridor roughly 60 kilometers wide, lying on either side of
64-404: Is framed by mountain ranges which form a local climate, trapping air and intensifying the effects of the air pollution. The general area is historically known for its natural resources and mineral deposits, and had traditional glass, ceramics, and textiles industries. The Ore Mountains between Saxony and Bohemia have been the scene of multiple Berggeschrei ("silver rushes") over centuries,
80-728: The Jizera Mountains with acid rain, and measurable impact on health and life expectancy. After the Revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe, in June 1991 the three nations signed a joint declaration of cooperation to address the Black Triangle's environmental issues. They later coordinated with the European Commission, which has funded small projects and measurement initiative through its Phare program. This has resulted in significant improvement in human health,
96-563: The Polska Grupa Energetyczna , produces about 30 million tons of lignite annually. The bowl-shaped open-pit mine is several kilometers in diameter, about 200 meters deep, and has completely transformed the original geographic character of the Turoszowska Basin. The mine and its extensive dumping grounds now cover more than half the basin. A documentary film about the Black Triangle won a Golden Gate Award at
112-541: The 1991 San Francisco International Film Festival . Czech photographer Josef Koudelka also produced a book about the region, Černý trojúhelník - Podkrušnohoří ( The Black Triangle: The Foothills of the Ore Mountain ) in 1994. Christiansdorf (Freiberg) 50°55′08″N 13°20′52″E / 50.91889°N 13.34778°E / 50.91889; 13.34778 Christiansdorf , historically spelt Christianesdorph in 1183 and Christianisdorf in 1185,
128-528: The economic development of Saxony. The pace of mineral exploitation rose dramatically in the 20th century. In late 1942, under wartime German control, the Czech town of Most began output of Ersatz fuel synthesized from brown coal at the "Sudetenländische Treibstoffwerke AG (STW) Maltheuren plant", operating with forced labor. The town was repeatedly bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II . After
144-410: The entire medieval Old Town of Most to make room for the expanding lignite mines. The inhabitants were given two options: move into the new housing projects , or leave town. Similar developments took place throughout the Black Triangle. Much of the energy produced was exported to western Europe in exchange for hard currency. The Czech town of Jáchymov was the site of an "infamous" uranium mine, while
160-545: The first in 1168. From that discovery at Christiansdorf (part of the Freiberg Mining Field ), mining was carried out uninterruptedly in the Ore Mountains until 1990. Amongst the raw materials mined over the course of centuries were ores of the metals silver , tin , zinc , cobalt , nickel , copper and lead ; anthracite and uranium were also extracted into the 20th century and were engines for
176-557: The health of forests, and levels of pollutants. In 1991 after German reunification SDAG Wismut was transformed into the Wismut GmbH company, owned by the Federal Republic of Germany, which is now responsible for the restoration and environmental cleanup of the former mining and milling areas. The region remains an important industrial center with serious environmental challenges. The Turów Coal Mine , still operated by
SECTION 10
#1732776362108192-607: The largest concentration of uranium mines in all of Europe stood nearby in East Germany. They were operated as a military secret and "in the prevailing spirit of Soviet gigantism" by SDAG Wismut to feed the Soviet atomic bomb project . The net result of industrial activity in the Triangle were huge quantities of particulate emissions, heavy metals, sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides which largely destroyed adjacent forests of
208-605: The northern Czech border extending from the German town of Bad Brambach on the west to the Polish town of Bystrzyca Kłodzka at the eastern end. The approximate center is the national tripoint at Zittau . Politically the "triangle" consists of: The Polish portion includes the southernmost " salient " of the Gmina Bogatynia , where the vast Turów Coal Mine has extracted lignite resources since 1904. The entire area
224-464: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Black triangle . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_triangle&oldid=1173678606 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
240-537: The war, with Soviet domination of the area, Moscow ordered the industrial development of the North Bohemian Basin on a grand scale. The installation of chemical plants, steel factories and refineries required vast amounts of energy; the energy came from burning dirty and inexpensive lignite from local strip mines. As one example of the impact, in 1964 the Mostecká uhelná Company began the demolition of
256-572: Was a forest settlement in the Duchy of Saxony (the present day German state of Saxony ) that only existed for a few years, but is credited as being the first place in the Ore Mountains that silver ore was discovered. The little mining settlement in the March of Meissen and was a forerunner of the present town of Freiberg , which itself was founded in the 1160s. Christiansdorf was located on
#107892