two of the strongest European powers. Frederick's tactics at Rossbach became a landmark in the history of military art. During this battle, Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz emerged as one of Frederick's greatest cavalry leaders. Much of the battlefield was destroyed in the course of mining for lignite; from 1864 to 1994, mining was particularly intense and resulted in the destruction of portions of several villages. The extensive open-cast mining operations caused fundamental changes in the landscape and the population: a total of 18 settlements and some 12,500 people were resettled over the time of the mining and manufacturing. Some residents of Rossbach itself were resettled in 1963 and part of the town was destroyed by mining operations in 1963. Today, most of the battlefield is covered in some farmland, vineyards and a park created from flooding the old lignite mine with water; the resulting lake has a surface area of ; at its deepest point, the lake is deep. See also Messel pit References External links http://www.geiseltal.de/ http://www.geiseltalmuseum.de/ Valleys of Saxony-Anhalt Saale basin Paleontological sites of Europe Eocene Paleontology in Germany