Herne city, North Rhine-Westphalia Land, western Germany lies at the junction of the Rhine-Herne and the Dortmund-Ems canals, about 10 miles (16 km) west of Dortmund, in the industrial Ruhr district, directly between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen. In 1975 Herne incorporated the neighbouring city of Wanne-Eickel, itself formed in 1926 through the amalgamation of the towns of Wanne and Eickel. Herne has a population of 168,000 living in an area of 52 sq km.
How to Get There:
The closest major airport is Dusseldorf International, 44 km from the center of Herne. Another major airport is Cologne Bonn Airport, 76 km away. Nearest local airports to Herne are Dortmund Airport – Dortmund, 18 km; Essen/Mulheim - Essen, 25 km: Moenchen-Gladbach 61 km; Munster/Osnabruck - Munster, 73 km; Laarbruch Airport - Laarbruch 75 km and Weeze Airport -Weeze, 75 km away. The Rhine–Herne transportation canal in the Ruhr area has five canal locks. It connects the harbour in Duisburg on the Rhine with the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Henrichenburg following the valley of the Emscher. The Rhein-Herne canal ship was designed specifically for this canal. The Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn is the only major road to Herne. Road links are limited.
What to See:
Akademie Mont-Cenis, the most impressive building in the Ruhr district: the further education academy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the site of the Mont-Cenis mine. Everything is surrounded by glass and the largest solar power station of its type in the world was integrated into the roof area.
Siedlung Teutoburgia, the garden city idyll for mineworkers in Herne was based on an English model. A quaint housing complex with 136 almost fully preserved houses, maintained over the years. The estate which was built between 1909 and 1923 as a workers' estate in accordance with the reform ideas of the garden city is one of the most beautiful in the Ruhr district.
Where to Eat:
Herne has a number of restaurants available, serving regional as well as inter- national cuisine. A popular area for dining in Herne are locations close to Siedlung Teutoburgia. The Restaurant Café Wiacker, Goethe-Restaurant, Forsthaus Gysenberg and the restaurant Elsässer Stuben are worth trying out.
Events:
A fair called Cranger Kirmes is held in the city's Crange district every August, drawing
around 4,500,000 visitors. About 500 stalls are erected every year, covering 110,000 sq m, a total walk of 5 km.
Hotels:
There are very few hotels in Herne, but surrounding areas have enough hotels, as long as you take the precaution of booking rooms in advance. Hotels in Herne are of the budget class, with prices in the lower range. However, the hotels around Herne are much better, like the Eurostar Hotel, Ramada Hotel Bochum, Raj Mahal Medical Spa And Semi, Renaissance Bochum Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Bochum Stadtpark, acora Hotel und Wohnen, Barbarossa City Hotel, Golden Tulip Goldschmieding Castrop – Rauxel, Hotel Excelsior, Best Western Park Hotel Engelsburg and the ACHAT, Park Inn, Ibis, City Partner Am Schlosspa and Ibis Zentrum Hotels in Bochum.
