Die letzten Köhler von Rumänien

In the heart of Romania, on the hills of the village of Lupeni, there is a place that you might think is on another continent, perhaps even from another time. This is where Romania's charcoal burners live - ten months a year in dust, heat, dirt and misery. For a pittance. For what? For the charcoal of the affluent Western European society. The mountains of the Carpathians stretch across a large part of Romania. The forest covers this legendary mountain landscape like a large, thick mantle. The Romanians are also known as the forest people. With its thousands of hectares, the forest is a true treasure trove, and foreign investors are now taking an interest in it. The people here know their way around the forest - every village in the country has its own carpenters, joiners and charcoal burners. The latter are at the bottom of the hierarchy of the population - and lead a life beyond all the advantages of modern times. Frugally they live a life full of privations, in dust, heat and dirt. 360° - GEO Reportage has discovered amazing things among Romania's last charcoal burners. In the heat of summer, surrounded by embers and fire, two men fetch coal from a pile that has not yet burned out. They have no protection from the constant smoke and toxic dust particles. Lajos Balint is 58 years old. All his life he has done nothing but turn wood into coal. Romania's charcoal burners are the poorest of the poor, at the bottom of the hierarchy of the rural population, although they are masters and experts. Keeping a five-meter-high pile burning for weeks requires a lot of experience, physical knowledge and courage. Day and night, the behemoth must be guarded, air must be supplied or blocked, the fire must not burn with a flame - this is the only way to produce the coveted charcoal after weeks. This ends up mostly at Western European barbecues, without anyone knowing where it comes from or who made it. In the middle of Europe, the charcoal burners lead a destitute and difficult life. Always accompanied by the question: how long can one endure this life?