Aachen

Aachen (French: Aix-la-Chapelle) - is a historic city located in Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, close to the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, 73 km west of Cologne (➤ map)(➤ map). The city known as a health resort since ancient times, in the Middle Ages was for some time the main residence of Charlemagne, and later, in the years 936-1531, the place of coronation of 31 German kings. Today, Aachen is known from one of the most important German technical universities, as well as an important industrial center and transport hub. It is also a popular tourist destination, famous for its top-class architectural monuments, which include the cathedral and the 14th-century town hall.

Aachen, today with approx. 250,000 inhabitants, lies in a place inhabited by Celts and known for its warm sulfur springs already in prehistoric times. Probably in the 1st century CE the Romans founded a spa town there, called Aquae Grani or Aquisgranum ("Granus baths", after the Celtic god of healing).


The first mentions of Aachen in modern times come from the times of Pepin the Little and Charlemagne, who in 790 built a palace in the then Aachen, including in particular the famous octagonal chapel, preserved to this day as the oldest part of the Aachen cathedral. During the Middle Ages, Aachen was for a long time one of the most important political and religious centers in Europe, as well as an important center of crafts and trade. In the years 936-1531, the temple in Aachen was the site of the coronation of the kings of Germany.


In the 16th and 17th centuries, the city lost its importance for various reasons (religious wars, the great fire in 1656), but soon regained it, but then in a different role: the city became a fashionable European spa with a casino, ballrooms, etc. Aachen was also the scene of several important political events at that time (including the conclusion of peace between Spain and France in the war for Flanders in 1668, the end of the Austrian War of Succession in 1748, and others). At the beginning of the 19th century, Aachen belonged to France, after the Congress of Vienna it fell within the borders of Prussia. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the city developed as an industrial center and became an important communication junction (especially by rail); in 1870 a technical university was founded in Aachen, today it will be one of the most important technical universities in Germany. In 1944, Aachen was (after bloody fights, as a result of which the city was largely destroyed) occupied by the Allied forces as the first German city.


The most important monument in Aachen is the cathedral , the Roman Catholic Church of St. Maria (Aachener Münster, Kaiserdom), one of the oldest in Europe. It is assumed that the construction of the cathedral began in 796; it was consecrated in 805. Later, it was rebuilt and extended many times. It consists of three parts, the oldest of which is the preserved octagonal palace chapel of Charlemagne, built at the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries by Odon of Metz, considered one of the most important monuments of Carolingian art on a European scale, serving for several centuries (in the years 936- 1531) the function of the coronation church. In 814, Charlemagne was buried here. After his canonization by Frederick Barbarossa, the chapel became a pilgrimage destination. Today, the Chapel of Charlemagne (and the entire cathedral), with its unique collection of medieval art (including many items from the Carolingian era) and relics extremely valuable to the Catholic Church, is Aachen's main tourist attraction.

The marker refers to the cathedral treasury (Domschatzkammer) with a collection of liturgical objects and valuable works of sacred art, considered one of the most important church treasures in northern Europe. Marker stands for the Town Hall (Aachen Rathaus), located between two important squares of Aachen, known as Katschhof i Markt am Rathaus . The Town Hall is the seat of the city authorities and one of the most important monuments of Aachen (acting as a historical museum), open to visitors. To the southwest of the cathedral stands the Grashaus , one of the oldest surviving buildings in the center of Aachen, built in 1267, formerly serving as the town hall. The marker is the regional history museum, and the marker - Elisenbrunnen, a neoclassical building with one of Aachen's most famous fountains.

When visiting Aachen, it is also worth taking a look at the two preserved city gates located a bit further from the center: Ponttor (Pont Gate) from the 14th century and Marschiertor from the 13th century (near the main railway station ) and on preserved fragments of city walls. The marker stands for Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, with a rich collection of contemporary art.