Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia

Aachen Cathedral
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oochen-Kath--Nords%C3%A4it-g%C3%A9int.jpg
Author: Aleph


Aachen (French: Aix-la-Chapelle, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the westernmost city in Germany, located on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. Aachen covers 160.83 sq km (62.1 sq mi) and has a population of 259,000 (2011 estimate). The city is on an average elevation of 266 m (873 ft) above sea level. It is within the Central European Time Zone, which is UTC+1, and in summer the Central European Summer Time Zone, which is UTC+2.

Aachen is home to RWTH Aachen University, one of the premier universities of the country. Aachen Cathedral was historically the place of coronation for German kings and the favoured residence of Charlemagne. In 1373 it became the first coin-minting city in the world to place an Anno Domini date on its coins. The modern city of Aachen ranks among the top cities in Germany for engineering, information technology and science.

Aachen Town Hall
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aachen_Rathaus_vom_Katschhof.jpg
Author: Lokilech


As a tourist destination, Aachen is famous for its hot spring, whose therapeutic properties have been recognised as early as Roman times. The Aachen area has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Under the Romans, a settlement was built here named Aquis-Granum. Charlemagne first came to Aachen in AD 768. He liked the town so much that he spent most winters there, from 792 until his death in 814.

The church which Charlemagne built in Aachen later became the Aachen Cathedral. Beginning with Otto I in 936 AD, some 30 German kings and 12 queens were to be crowned at Aachen Cathedral to reign as rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. The city went into decline in the 16th century, further compounded byu a devastating fire in 1656. On the other hand, the city became a popular spa town since the mid 17th century, not so much for its therapeutic springs, but rather because it also became a place of high-level prostitution, which remained till the 19th century.

Aachen Theater
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aachen_Theatre.jpg
Author: Martin Möller


Aachen was shoved to be a backwater city when it fell under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815, following the Napoleonic wars. It suffered from overcrowding as well as miserable living conditions. The city was further devastated during the Second World War, which destroyed many of its valuable churches including St Foillan, St Paul and St Nicholas as well as its city hall. The Aachen Cathedral is still standing and is well preserved. Today it is designated as a World Heritage Site.

Visiting Aachen, Germany

There are high-speed Thalys and ICE trains that connect Aachen with Liege and Brussels. Regional express trains also connect Aachen with Cologne and Düsseldorf. The nearest airports are the ones at Düsseldorf and Cologne-Bonn. From there, you can take trains to Aachen.

Couven-Museum, Aachen
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aachen_Couvenmuseum.jpg
Author: Norbert Schnitzler

Places of Interest in Aachen

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