The end of the "Black Pump" followed reunification, essentially draining the veins of Hoyerswerda.

CNN: Born in the east, young Germans still forced to head west

Workplace -- until 1989 that meant the "Schwarze Pumpe" (Black Pump) in Hoyerswerda.

CNN: Born in the east, young Germans still forced to head west

Still, Mr. Louboutin occasionally takes it to the edge: His "Fetish Ballerine" of 2007 has a heel so high, about 10 inches, that it turns a black pump into a pointe shoe.

WSJ: High-Concept Enchantments: Review of Shoe Obsession at the Museum at FIT

This uses a motorized pump to push water through long black plastic tubes that are laid out in rows along the base of the plants.

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