92 pages with 78 illustrations, including 68 color photos and 8 black-and-white photos, as well as 2 maps. Content: Foreword, Current Sea Stories, The Geiseltal, The Geiseltalsee, Where the 'Golden Steiger' Grows, Geological Windows, Fossils from the Geiseltal, Towns by the Geiseltalsee and their Incorporations, Mücheln, Braunsbedra, Bad Lauchstädt, Frankleben, Over-mined Villages that were located in the area of the lake, Naundorf, Wernsdorf/Zütschdorf, Körbisdorf, Benndorf, Neumark/Petzkendorf, Gräfendorf, Geiselröhlitz/Rittersdorf, Kämmeritz, Lützkendorf, Krumpa, Möckerling, Neubiendorf, Zöbiker, Zorbau, Eptingen, Outlook, Acknowledgments, Photos, About the Authors.

Foreword: For more than 300 years, the former lignite mining area of Geiseltal has been undergoing transformation, and nothing has changed in that regard to this day. However, the nature of this transformation has taken on a different quality. After coal production ceased on June 30, 1993, all activities were no longer aimed at destroying the landscape but rather at its renaturation and sensible use. The remaining pits were transformed into lakes through flooding with Saale water, the spoil heaps became hiking destinations with observation towers, nature reserves, or even vineyards. Cycling paths, harbor facilities, shelters, and objects for lake regulation and tourist services were created. But this is just the beginning. The Geiseltalsee, with a shoreline of 41 kilometers, is the largest in the region. It will likely take several more years before many of the ambitious plans and visions for shaping its surroundings are realized—certainly not all of them. And it is precisely this that excites me, to write today about these enormous changes without neglecting the past.