The Route of Achilles

You are in Herne for a weekend as a tourist. Are you curious? Are you sporty? Then discover the history of our town on the Route of Achilles; it will lead you to the history of Herne, the history of the coal. Don’t be afraid: you won’t be led on pit heaps, you needn’t dig coal, but you’ll follow the trace and track of the coal: you’ll see coal pits, green plots, former industrial areas … That’s where this town has its origin. All the time you’ll have asked yourself: who is this Achilles? Well, Achilles is the brother of coal and he is the planner of this route. While his brother had been living in the underground mountains of hard coal about 300 million years, Achilles had his studio at the bottom of the mountains at the miracle spring; for the man is an artist, a little complicated and splenic. When the people of Herne built underground cities, he came out of the pits with the coal and has since been living with us on a pit heap. He goes on working as an artist and is an unpaid fellow-worker of the tourist office. Achilles appears in different shapes: as a fire salamander, as a monk, as a dog or a cat. Whish him friendly “Good luck and many happy returns!”; speak loud, because Achilles is hard of hearing. Meet him respectfully! Remember: Achilles is a little monster! If Achilles likes you, he’ll accompany you for a while. He’ll tell you interesting stories. But if he thinks you’re boring, he’ll suddenly disappear. Achilles is wicked so it may happen that you lose your way and that you will have to ask for it. But the people in Herne like to provide you – and especially tourists – with information. But don’t let them tell you their biographies for hours, tell them that you are here for only one weekend and that you are only looking for an appointed way, that’s important. If you have a city guide, don’t ask him about restaurants or cafes or for a pause; let him lead you to the coal – an adventure – and let him tell you some of the stories that a hundred years of mining have created. Maybe, there will also be stories about Achilles among them. Have a nice tour!

Wolfgang Viehweger