communities. Coat of arms Borken's civic coat of arms might heraldically be described thus: Argent a lion rampant gules, armed Or and langued gules, within, a mullet of six argent. The arms were granted in their present form in 1951 after a series of different arms that all featured the lion, the oldest known of which dates from the late 14th century. Later, the lion in the town's arms was the red-and-silver-striped Lion of Hesse (which also appears in Hesse's arms and a great number of civic arms throughout Hesse). Other arms showed a red or blue lion. The star is a medieval symbol used by the Counts of Ziegenhain who held sway in the area in the early Middle Ages. Landmarks Borkener Seenland The "Stockelache Nature Bathing Lake", the Singlis surfing lake and the Borkener See nature reserve use the old coal-mining lands for tourism with a broad choice of activities ranging from bathing, swimming and diving to beach volleyball, windsurfing and Aqua-Golf, to recreation, hiking, and nature watching. Hessian Brown Coal Mining Museum The Hessian Brown Coal Mining Museum, founded in 1992, presents under the theme of "Discover industrial culture – experience landscape change" many exhibits from coal-mining and electrical generation, whose workings are demonstrated for visitors. These exhibits include the underground and above-ground mining of the raw material, brown coal, its use, and the conversion of the former mining lands as the centrepiece. The visitor may choose from among four museum areas: In the 3.5 ha experience-oriented "Coal & Energy" theme park, rattling excavators, humming turbines and smoking power station kettles show how coal was mined from the pits, and how it was used for energy. A reconstructed gallery displays the miners' work and everyday lives, and shows through original equipment the change in mining procedures. A permanent exhibition presents the 400-year history of Hessian brown coal mining. The "Borkener See" nature conservation information centre explains how "second-hand" landscapes are fashioned from former strip mining areas. The visitors' mine and the "mining history" exhibit are housed in Borken's oldest building, "Am Amtsgericht" – built in 1473 – in the Old Town. The "Coal & Energy" theme park and the adjoining "Borkener See" nature conservation information centre are found Am Freilichtmuseum ("At the Open-Air Museum") before the town's gates. Great power plant Borken The Borken power plant building, which still stands today is protected as a monument. It