Herne, another urban district in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), lies in the hightly densed Ruhr area, among a quantity of some very big industrialized cities. This Ruhr area is regarded as among the most populous areas within Germany with more than 10 million people.
Only after seeing some initial hiccups in the form of recession, the city — including its surrounding area — now experiences an impressive growth rate at all commercial fronts. The industries, forming the backbone of the region, is now growing manifold all along with these districts.
Presently, almost larger parts of the area have developed into a hefty industrialized countryside of unique size by keeping its door open to all inhabitants. Herne, with its nearby areas, is ranked at the fifth spot in terms of the largest urban area in Europe by surpassing many famous cities. It comes only after some big names including Madrid, Paris, Moscow, and London.
Similar to most other German cities, it is also having its past to tell. Until the 19th century, it was not very renowned in the region and was very much like a small rural community. It was the golden year of 1860 when the first coal mine became active and started churning out some useful materials. And once the industrialization was on the roll, some next coming years observed the nearly twenty-fold growth in the population.
After seeing this turnaround, the townships of the nearby areas started turning into the cities. And in 1975, Wanne-Eickel, a nearby town, was merged into Herne, forming now one more major city in the Ruhr area.
Like certain other German cities, this city is not having a lot to boast about in terms of touristic attractions. The influxes of visitors are less here in comparison to other areas.
Still, the fair Cranger Kirmes is popular among the masses which is held every August, opening at the first Friday. It comes among some famous fairs in Germany and is placed well third in terms of crowd pulling ability. (Believe it or not, it attracts 4 million visitors!)
And there is a museum, the Westphalia Museum For Archeology, which puts the history of mankind into the midpoint of its exhibitions.
