Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Herne
View towards the center of Herne
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Arnsberg
District	Urban district
Elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	157,368
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	44601-44653
Dialling codes	02323, 02325
Vehicle registration	HER, WAN
Website	herne.de

Herne is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area, a large industrial region. Herne sits directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen.

History of Herne

Herne was once a very small village called Haranni. This was true until the 1800s. A big change happened when people started mining coal. They also began making coke, which is a special fuel made from coal. Steel production also grew in the area.

Because of this new work, many people moved to the Ruhr area. Most of these new residents came from eastern Germany. Herne is located on a direct path between Bochum to the south and Recklinghausen to the north. Other nearby cities include Gelsenkirchen to the west and Castrop-Rauxel and Dortmund to the east.

The Rhine–Herne Canal forms a border between Herne and Recklinghausen. A little further north is the Emscher river. This river valley, called Emschertal, was once famous for its wild horses. These horses were caught and then sold at a yearly horse market in Crange. This market later became the "Cranger Kirmes" fair.

After World War II, Herne was known as "Die Goldene Stadt." This means "The Golden City." It got this name because it did not suffer as much damage during the war compared to other cities.

How Herne Grew

Today's Herne includes many older settlements. Haranni was one of the first, located near the main Lutheran Church. Other villages like Baukau, Börnig, and Crange also became part of Herne. These farm settlements likely started around the 11th or 12th centuries.

In 1860, the first coal mine opened in Herne. Over the next 30 years, the number of people living in Herne grew 20 times larger. In 1975, a city called Wanne-Eickel joined Herne. Wanne-Eickel had over 70,000 people at that time. Herne was already a larger city when they combined.

Herne During World War II

During World War II, Herne was a target for air raids. The Royal Air Force first attacked Herne on June 4, 1940. After that, air raids happened almost every day and night.

One time, three large bombs hit the Vincke-Strasse. They badly damaged many houses and caused deaths. Special bombs that caused fires were also dropped in several places. These fires burned for days.

The Rhine–Herne Canal was very important. It was used to transport coal and coke from mines to factories. These factories turned iron ore into steel. Coal was also shipped on the canal for homes and other industries. A bridge over the canal, near a major lock, was hit and destroyed during the war.

The Krupp Treibstoffwerke oil refinery was also bombed. This refinery was close to the Shamrock coal mine. It was attacked as part of the "oil campaign" during the war.

Gallery

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  Herne, church

• 

  Baukau, castle: Schloss Strünkede

• 

  Baukau, chapel: Schlosskapelle Strünkede

People Living in Herne

Herne is home to people from many different countries. Here are the largest groups of people who have moved to Herne:

Turkey	10,130
Poland	2,139
Romania	1,865
Syria	1,140
Greece	1,066
Italy	792

Notable Places to Visit

One very famous event in Herne is the Cranger Kirmes fair. It takes place in the Crange district every first week of August. This fair is the second largest carnival in all of Germany. About 4.5 million people visit it each year.

The fair's history goes back to the 1400s. Back then, farmers would trade horses on a special day called Saint Lawrence's Day. Today, the fair still has horse shows and sells horse equipment. This keeps the old tradition alive.

Famous People from Herne

Many well-known people come from Herne or Wanne-Eickel. Some of them include:

• Cigdem Akyol
• Yıldıray Baştürk
• Kurt Edelhagen
• Gudrun Heute-Bluhm
• Andrea Jürgens, Dr. Claudia Dollins (Geier)
• Jürgen von Manger, known as "Mr. Tegtmeier"
• Jürgen Marcus
• Bernd Storck
• Peavy Wagner
• Leonie Saint
• Bärbel Beuermann
• Gregor Willmes, a music expert
• Rudolf Witzig
• Jan Zweyer

Important Businesses

• Heitkamp BauHolding was started in 1892. This company specializes in different types of construction work.

Sports in Herne

Herne has several football clubs. These include SC Westfalia Herne, DSC Wanne-Eickel, and SV Sodingen. Fans of Borussia Dortmund sometimes call the football club Schalke 04 "Herne-West." This is a playful nickname.

Sister Cities

Herne has special partnerships with other cities around the world. These are called "sister cities."

See also

In Spanish: Herne para niños