Herne, Germany

Infobox German Location
Name = Herne
German_name =
Art = City
image_photo = Hoheward view southeast.jpg
imagesize = 300px
image_caption = View to the center of Herne
Wappen = Stadtwappen der kreisfreien Stadt Herne.pngWappengröße =
lat_deg = 51 | lat_min = 33 | lat_sec = 0
lon_deg = 07 | lon_min = 13 | lon_sec = 0
Karte =
Lageplan =
Lageplanbeschreibung =
Bundesland = North Rhine-Westphalia
Regierungsbezirk = Arnsberg
Kreis = Kreisfreie Stadt
Höhe = 65
Fläche = 51.41
area_metro =
Einwohner = 169991
pop_metro =
Stand = 2006-12-31
pop_ref = [http://www.lds.nrw.de/statistik/datenangebot/Regionen/amtlichebevoelkerungszahlen/rp9_dez06.html]
PLZ = 44601-44653
PLZ-alt =
Vorwahl = 02323, 02325
Kfz = HER
Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 9 16 000
NUTS =
LOCODE =
Gliederung = 4 districts
Website = [http://www.herne.de/ herne.de]
Bürgermeister = Horst Schiereck
Partei = SPD

Herne (IPA2|ˈhɛʁnə) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.

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.

During Early WWII

Herne was targeted by RAF at 4th of June 1940 with 3 explosive bombs, 1 house damaged [http://www.wwiidaybyday.com Web Source of German Reports]

Notable places

There is a fair called Cranger Kirmes in the district "Crange" held every August. It is the second largest fair in Germany with an average number of visitors of 4,500,000. Its origins can be traced back to the 15th century, when farmers started trading in horses on Saint Lawrence’s Day. That is why the official opening always takes place at the first Friday in August. The tradition of the horse market is kept up, by arranging a horse show and horse equipment sales at the same place where horses were traded years ago. Today there are about 500 booth every year covering 111,000 sqm, meaning that it takes a 5km walk to cover the fairground. Among other things you can buy almonds and all kinds of other food, visit beer gardens, win prizes in shooting galleries or tombolas or ride traditional and new fun-rides like for instance roundabouts, ghost trains and all sorts of high-tech delights. One of the main attractions is probably the 50m high big wheel, that is the largest portable one worldwide.

Notable persons

Famous Hernians or Wanne-Eickelians include Jürgen von Manger, Kurt Edelhagen, Jürgen Marcus, Heinz Rühmann, Tana Schanzara, Dr. Claudia Dollins (Geier), Yıldıray Baştürk,Jan Zweyer and Leonie Saint. The composer Ralf Linke lives in Herne.

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

* [http://www.herne.de/ Official site] de icon