HERNE, GERMANY

'Herne' () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.

Contents

History

Notable places

Notable persons

Twin towns

External links

History

Like most other cities in the region Herne was a tiny village until the 19th century. When the mining of coal and the production of steel emerged, the villages of the Ruhr area became cities.
The present Herne includes the former settlements of Herne, Wanne and Eickel. The farms bearing these names were founded in the 11th and 12th centuries. In 1860 the first coal mine started operation. In the following thirty years the population increased twenty-fold. For the first time Herne was called a city. The same development occurred in Wanne and Eickel, which merged in 1926 to form the new city of 'Wanne-Eickel'. In 1975 Wanne-Eickel, meanwhile as well a city with over 70,000 inhabitants, was incorporated into Herne.

Notable places

There is a fair called ''Cranger Kirmes'' in the district ''Crange'' held every August. It is the third largest fair in Germany with an average number of visitors of 3,500,000. Its origins can be traced back to the 15th century, when farmers started trading in horses on Saint Lawrence’s Day.

Notable persons

'Famous Hernians' or 'Wanne-Eickelians' include Jürgen von Manger, Kurt Edelhagen, Jürgen Marcus, Heinz Rühmann, Tana Schanzara and Jan Zweyer.

Twin towns

★ Hénin-Beaumont, France, since 1954

★ Wakefield, England, United Kingdom, since 1956

★ Ometepe Island, Nicaragua, since 1988

★ Belgorod, Russia, since 1990

★ Lutherstadt Eisleben, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, since 1990

★ Konin, Poland, since 1991

External links

★ Official site