Every age and culture has its heroes. It makes no difference whether it’s Heracles, Theseus, Siegfried, Superman, Joan of Arc or Lara Croft. They are our models and the people on whom we pin our hopes because they reflect our yearning for the exceptional. But why do we need heroes? And how are heroes made? The search of these answers leads from Athens, Rome, New York to the Ruhr in Germany, and from ancient times to the present day. Although centuries separate the heroes of antiquity from those of today you’ll discover a lot of common factors and you’ll be amazed. As far as today’s heroes are concerned, the exhibition in the LWL-Industriemuseum in Dortmund (Germany) includes, for example, a helmet worn by a fire-fighter who lost his life during the attack on the World Trade Centre and by the German “Tatort” TV crime detective Schimanski. The exhibitions tells exciting stories about heroes large and small, celebrated sports personalities and committed helpers and the cultural backround of the heroe’s existence.
