Germany has set itself the goal of phasing out coal-fired power generation by 2038 at the latest. The last German coal mine having closed in 2018, the coal mines still in operation in the country now only extract lignite, a major source of pollution. This activity is concentrated in three regions: the Rhineland, central Germany and Lusatia, which are already engaged in a process of gradual transformation of their open pit mines. But this transformation is proving more difficult than expected, because the stakes are economic, social and environmental.