Herne at a glance

Herne is situated in the centre of the Ruhr area and thus in the middle of North Rhine- Westphalia. With a population of about 170,000, it is one of the largest cities in the Ruhr. Coal mining shaped the city and the people who live here. Today, however, vestiges of the industry remain only on heritage sites and in museums. Transformation is very much the hallmark of Herne. Arts and cultural centres have moved into former colliery and factory buildings (for example, the Flottmann-Hallen and the "artists’ colliery" Unser Fritz), modern institutions have become established on derelict mine sites (for example, the Mont-Cenis Academy in Herne-Sodingen and the Hibernia business park in Herne-Mitte). Miners’ housing estates of significant architectural merit such as Teutoburgia and Constantin remain intact.
The city and the people who live in it have coped successfully with the inevitable structural change. Where smokestacks once rose high into the sky, parks and open spaces now invite residents and visitors to take time out. The swimming and leisure centre Therme Lago, for example, attracts visitors from near and far to its extensive sauna areas and salt-water baths.
The people of Herne are especially proud of their attractive pedestrian zone, also known as Boulevard Bahnhofstraße. From 1999 to 2003 the shopping area was completely overhauled and modernized. Interest is added by light objects and installations - an idea that has since been copied by other cities.

Herne’s cultural offerings cannot be enjoyed fully in a day or even a week. With the Archäologisches Landesmuseum (Archaeological State Museum) and the three sections of the Emschertal-Museum, the city has a range of museums that attract visitors both from the region and the whole of the country. National fame is also enjoyed by the Flottmann-Hallen as a centre for dance theatre, cabaret, variety theatre, music, and contemporary art. Every two years, the City stages the competition "Tegtmeiers Erben" (Tegtmeier’s Heirs) which commemorates the legendary stand-up comedian Jürgen von Manger and his character creation Adolf Tegtmeier. Wilhelmstraße in Herne-Wanne is home to the first and only Ruhr comedy theatre: Christian Stratmann’s "Mondpalast" (Moon Palace).

Every year at the beginning of August, there’s only one destination for the people of Herne and the entire region: the fairground on the banks of the Rhine-Herne Canal in the suburb of Crange. It’s Cranger Kirmes, the funfair at Crange, the biggest fair in North Rhine- Westphalia, where about 500 fairground people cater for millions of visitors.
For ten days the City is in party mood. Die-hard fans even take time off work to enjoy all the fun of the fair.