Monte Kali is an unusual landmark in the small town of Heringer in eastern Hesse, Germany.
For over a hundred years, potash mining has been a major industry in the region.
Thus, for every ton of potash recovered, several tons of sodium chloride is produced.
This is dumped at several sites around the region.
The dumps contain up to 96% sodium chloride.
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Monte Kali began growing in 1973, and its where the K+S chemical company dumps sodium chloride.
More than 10,000 visitors climb the artificial mountain every year.
But Monte Kali and other spoil heaps in the region are environmentally destructive.
An enormous amount of salt seeps into the ground polluting the soil, rivers and groundwater.
The surrounding soil has become virtually barren and only a few halophyte plants resistant to salt can grow there.
The Werra river too has become inhospitable to freshwater organisms.
