Herne is located on the direct axis between Bochum to the South and Recklinghausen to the North, with Münster yet further North; Gelsenkirchen lies to the West, and Castrop-Rauxel and Dortmund to the East. The physical border between Herne and Recklinghausen in fact is, and has been for a long time, the bridge at the Bochumer Strasse across the Rhine–Herne Canal (the south shore of the Canal is Herne, the North shore is Recklinghausen). A little further north of the canal flows the Emscher River, which was a major known location because of the former abundance of wild horses that were caught in the Emscher Valley (Emschertal), then sold and/or traded at the yearly horse market at Crange, which later developed into the "Cranger Kirmes", now a World renowned Fair and the largest family kermess in Germany. After World War II Herne was known as "Die Goldene Stadt" (The Golden City) because of the comparatively limited damage suffered during World War II.