The 7th German-Czech Encounter Seminar took place in 2004 in Bad Schlema. The miracle of the revived spa was intended to serve as a beacon of hope in the mining-affected and unemployment-stricken region on both sides of the German-Czech border. The idea had already emerged during the 2003 seminar when an architectural and mining history excursion took the participants to Jáchymov and Ostrov. There, much still resembled the early 1990s in the Saxon Ore Mountains. Shortly after the political turnaround, the media reported on Schlema-Aue as the 'Valley of Death' and blamed mining for the decline of the region. The seminar aimed to demonstrate what had actually come 'from the mine' - and above all, that optimism can move mountains - or more precisely: mining heaps. This materials volume thus paints a realistic picture of the status quo: a multitude of still unresolved issues regarding mining damage remediation stands in contrast to examples of successful rehabilitation that deserve global attention.