Aachen

Aachen (Oche in Kölsch, Aix-la-Chapelle in French, Aken in Dutch) is a 247,380 inhabitants city located in the southwestern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, being the westernmost city in Germany (close to the border with Belgium and the Netherlands). Aachen Cathedral was placed at UNESCO World Heritage list in 1978 and here German kings used to be crowned from 936 to 1531. Aachen has one of Germany's leading institutes of higher education in technology, RWTH Aachen University.

How do I arrive to Aachen?

  Aachen is quite well connected from the rest of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the Netherlands and Belgium. 

• Train: there are trains twice every hour to Cologne (aprox. 1 hour) and Mönchengladbach (aprox. 1 hour). International trains to Brussels or Paris stop in Aachen too.
• Bus: there are buses to many cities in NRW state (like Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Mönchengladbach, Essen or Dortmund) as well as international destinations like Maastricht, Eindhoven or Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Liège or Brussels in Belgium or Paris in France.
• Car: if you rented a car from Aachen it can be reached Eifel National Park (aprox. 50 minutes), Cologne (aprox. 1 hour), Düsseldorf (aprox. 1 hour), Bonn (aprox. 1 hour 15 minutes), Essen (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes) or Dortmund (aprox. 1 hour 45 minutes). Outside Germany from Aachen you can reach Maastricht (aprox. 40 minutes), Eindhoven (aprox. 1 hour 15 minutes) in the Netherlands or Liège (aprox. 45 minutes) in Belgium. 

History

The area of Aachen has been inhabited since Neolithic times. During Iron Age it was settled by Celtic peoples, attracted by hot sulphur springs (where they worshipped the god Grannus). The Romans founded the spa resort town Aquae Granni under Hadrian, around 124 AD, lasting till the end of the 4th century, being ruled by Ripuarian Franks (with capital in Cologne). Charlemagne made Aachen the focus of his court and the political center of the Carolinginan Empire. In 936 Otto I was crowned king of East Francia and most of the kings of Germany destined to reign over the Holy Roman Empire were crowned in Aachen. Frederick Barbarossa fortified walls in the city. From the early 16th century Aachen started to lose its power and influence, with the movement of coronations of emperors to Frankfurt. France occupied Aachen in 1794 and its decline ended, passed to Prussia by an act in the Congress of Vienna. Aachen was part of the ill-fated Rhenish Republic after WW1. The city was heavily damaged during WW2, particulary during the Battle of Aachen, being the first German city captured by the Allies. In the 21st century Aachen has developed into a technology hub (with installations like RWTH Aachen or the hospital Klinikum Aachen).
 

What can I visit in Aachen?

 The city's main public places are Katschhof (main square in Aachen where the town hall and the Dom are located, dating back to Charlemagne times) and Lousberg (264 m hill with great views of the city). Aachen has a route all over its city, Route Charlomagne, that expains the history of Aachen as an important cultural and scientific point. Aachen used to be a famous spa town and that's still visible in places like Carolus Thermen (Passstraße 79).

These are Aachen's main attractions:

Pflazkapelle

• Aachen Cathedral (7-19 from Apr to Dec; 7-18 from Jan to Mar): 12th century impressing Dom where more thant 30 German Emperors are buried, among them Charlemagne. The oldest and most beautiful part is Pfalzkapelle, an octogonal shaped chapel which is a perfect example of Carolingian architecture from the year 800 with a 12th century chandelier given by Frederick I Barbarossa. The cathedral hosts relics like Jesuschrist's loincloth and his nappies, Virgin Mary's cape or John the Baptist's clothes (exposed every 7 years). In 1414 a Gothic chorus was built to hosts the pilgrims who came to visit the relics. Outside the building it's located Aachen Dom Treasury (10-14 Mon, 10-18 Tue-Sun from Apr to Sep; 10-14 Mon, 10-17 Tue-Sun from Jan to Mar; 5€/ 4€  adults/ students and kids under 18), impressing collections of jewels, golden and silver objects. Some of the most outstanding pieces are a Charlemagne golden and silver bust, a 10th century cross with precious gems, ivory millenary holy water vessel or the marble sarcophagus where Charlemagne used to be buried till its canonization (1165). The entrances should be bought at the Cathedral Information Center (10-18 from Apr to Dec; 10-17 from Jan to Mar).



Aachen Town Hall

• Aachen Town Hall (10-18; 6€/ 3€/ free  adults/ students/ people under 22): 14th century Gothic town hall which was built where Charlemagne's palace was located (from those times just the east tower, Garnusturm, remains). Its façade has 50 statues of the German emperors (30 of them crowned in Aachen between 936 and 1531) and inside the most important hall is Krönungssaal, with 19th century frescoes and reproduction of imperial insignias (a crown, a globe and a sword).
• Center Charlemagne (10-18 Tue-Sun; 6€/ 3€/ free  adults/ students/ people under 22): museum with mutimedia expositions that shows the life of Charlemagne and the history of Aachen since Roman times. There's a combined ticket for Ludwig Forum, Suermont Ludwig Museum, Couven Museum, Center Charlemagne, Aachen City Countil and International Newspaper Museum for all the museums in Aachen (16€/ 10€) that lasts 6 months. 

  

  Center Charlemagne

• Couven Museum (10-17 Tue-Sun; 6€/ 3€/ free  adults/ students/ people under 22): small museum of applied arts that shows the life of the aristocracy between the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Büchel Museum (12-18 Thu-Sun; 6€/ 3€/free  adults/ students/ people under 22): private museum located in one of the oldest town houses in Aachen. It shows a private collection of objects, among them 200 original artworks by Emil Orlik.
• International Newspaper Museum (10-17 Tue-Sun; 6€/ 3€/ free  adults/ students/ people under 22): museum located in a 15th century residential house that teaches the history of press with a stock of 300,000 international newspapers from five centuries.



Puppenbrunnen

• Suermondt-Ludwig Museum (10-18 Tue-Sat, 10-20 Sun; 6€/ 4€  adults/ students): art museum with an interesting collection of medieval art. It has works of art by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Albrecht Dürer, August Macke or Otto Dix.
• St. Adalbert Priory Church: second oldest church in Aachen, consecrated by the holy Adalbert of Prague in 1005. It has numerous reliquaries and the usage of the church has changed over the years, being currently a meeting point of music and religion.
• Puppenbrunnen: cute fountain with mechanisms representing puppets (each one has its own meaning).
• Grashaus (booking on advance): one of the oldest buildings in Aachen with quite a few stories to tell. It has been used as town hall or prision.
• St. Nikolaus City Church (9-19): church first built in the 11th century and expanded in the 13th century. It was partially destroyed because of a fire (1656), an earthquake (1692) and a bombing in WW2. Nowadays it's used by Catholic and Lutheran communities.

  

  Ballerina clown
  by Jonathan Borofsky

• Ludwig Forum for International Art (10-17 Tue-Sun; 6€/ 4€  adults/ students): Contemporary art museum located in a former umbrella factory with works by Andy Warhol, Jörg Immendorf, Jenny Holzer, A.R.Penck... One of its most renown pieces is Ballerina clown by Jonathan Borofsky. It also hosts innovative temporal expositions.
• St. Jakob Catholic Church (10-12 Mon and Fri, 15-17 Wed): church with the tallest tower in Aachen and considered the first one dedicated to St. James.
• St. Johann Baptist Catholic Church: Baroque church built in 1751 over former Burtscheid abbey. It's inspired in Aachen Cathedral with an impressive octagon and its own abbey treasury.

Where can I eat in Aachen?

Aachener Printen

Aachen is the birth place of the famous and tasty Printen (crunchy biscuits with nuts and fines herbs covered in sugar or chocolate), that can be bought all over the city. In case your budget is reduced you can enjoy tasty food for not much in the cafes Zum Mohren (Hof 4), van den Daele (Büchel 18), Magellan (Pontstraße 78) or the cafe-bakery Nobis (Münsterplatz 3). The best choices for intermediate budget are the German food restaurants Am Knipp (Bergdriesch 3) or zum goldenen Einhorn (Markt 33).  
As every city with important universities, Aachen has a wide offer of places to have a drink out, particulary in Pontviertel district, such as the Apollo Kino & Bar (Pontstraße 141-149).

Posted in: Europe,Germany,North Rhine-Westphalia