Lusatia is a region in the east of Germany which has been heavily shaped by the coal industry. Over the course of one and a half centuries, forests, meadows, heath and around 1000 villages had to make way for open-pit mining. Now the region is set to change again as - in the hope of crafting a holiday region - a new landscape is being manufactured through the creation of beaches, marinas, camping sites and canals. Freya Najade became captivated by Lusatia's quasi-industrial feel and measured, yet determined pace of change.