Aachen
Aachen ([]
Dutch Aken,
French Aix-la-Chapelle,
Latin Aquisgranum,
Ripuarian Oche) is a spa city in
North Rhine-Westphalia,
Germany, on the border with
Belgium and the
Netherlands, 65 km to the west of
Cologne, and the westernmost city in Germany.
[Bridgwater, W. & Beatrice Aldrich. (1966) The Columbia-Viking Desk Encyclopedia. Columbia University. p. 11.]A quarry on the Lousberg which was first used in Neolithic times attests to the long occupation of the site of Aachen.
The
Romans named the
hot sulphur springs of Aachen
Aquis-Granum. For the origin of the
Granus several theories were developed, but it is now widely accepted that it derives from a local Celtic god of healing water, not elsewhere attested. Since
Roman times, the hot springs have been channeled into baths (which are still in use).
In French-speaking areas of the former
Empire, the word
aquas was turned into
aix, hence Aix-la-Chapelle.
After Roman times,
Einhard mentions that in 765-66
Pippin the Younger spent both Christmas and Easter at
Aquis villa ("Et celebravit natalem Domini in Aquis villa et pascha similiter.") [
1], which must have been sufficiently equipped to support the royal household for several months. In the year of his coronation,
768,
Charlemagne came to spend Christmas at Aachen for the first time. He liked the place, and twenty years later, he began to build a palace. The sole surviving remnant of the palace, its magnificent chapel constructed in 796, later became
Aachen Cathedral. Charlemagne spent most winters between
800 and his death in
814 in Aachen in order to enjoy the hot springs. Afterwards, the king was buried in the chapel, where his tomb can still be found.
In
936,
Otto I was crowned emperor in the cathedral. From then on, the emperors of the
Holy Roman Empire were crowned "
King of the Germans" in Aachen for the next 600 years. The last king to be crowned here was
Ferdinand I in 1531.
During the
Middle Ages, Aachen was one of the largest cities of the Empire. In the
Imperial Circle Estates of the
Reichsreform (Imperial Reform) concluded at
Worms in 1495, Aachen was represented in the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian circle.
After the
Thirty Years' War, Aachen only had regional importance. However, the city became the site of several important congresses and peace treaties: the
first congress of Aachen (often referred to as
congress of Aix-la-Chapelle in English) in 1668, leading to the
First Treaty of Aachen in the same year which ended the
War of Devolution. The
second congress ended with the
second treaty in 1748, finishing the
War of the Austrian Succession.
The
third congress took place in 1818 to decide the fate of occupied France.
Until 1801, it was a free imperial city. Afterward, France acquired it before granting it to Prussia by 1814.
By 1880, the population was 80,000. Several important
railways met in Aachen. The city became a site for the manufacturing of railroad
iron,
pins,
needles,
buttons,
tobacco,
woolen goods, and
silk goods.
The city was badly damaged in
World War II,
on
October 21 1944. After the
Battle of Aachen, it was the first German city to be overrun by
Allied troops.
While Charlemagne's palace does not exist anymore, the cathedral is still the main attraction of the city. After its construction, it was the largest church north of the
Alps for 400 years. The tombs of Charlemagne and
Otto III are in the cathedral. The cathedral of Aachen has been designated as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Tree-lined boulevard in Aachen |
Aachen is an industrial centre and a major railway junction, including the
Thalys high-speed train network. A major industry of the past was needle production, which led to the distinctive mark of the people from Aachen, the
Klenkes. The small finger of the right hand is spread from the hand, which was originally the way women sorted the needles.
Robert Browning's poem "How they brought the good news from Ghent to Aix" refers to Aachen, but not to any historical fact.
The annual CHIO (short for the French
Concours Hippique International Officiel) is the biggest
equestrian meeting of Germany and among horsemen considered to be as prestigious for equitation as the tournament of
Wimbledon for tennis. Aachen will also be host of the 2006
World Equestrian Games.
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German-Dutch-Belgian border is easily seen from the west edge of town |
The local football team
Alemannia Aachen plays in Germany's first division, since its promotion in 2006. Their stadium is called
Tivoli.
Since 1950 the city annually awards the
Karlspreis (German for
Charlemagne Award) to persons who did extraordinary service for the unification of Europe. In 2003 the medal was awarded to
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. In 2004,
Pope John Paul II's efforts to unite Europe were honored with an
Extraordinary Charlemagne Medal, which was awarded for the first time ever.
The local speciality of Aachen are cookies called
Printen, a local version of
gingerbread. Unlike
gingerbread (German
Lebkuchen), which is sweetened with honey,
Printen are sweetened with sugar.
In 1372, Aachen became the first coin issuing city in the world to regularly place an
Anno Domini date on a general circulation
coin, a
groschen. It is written MCCCLXXII. None with this date are known to be in existence any longer. The earliest date for which an Aachen coin is still extant is dated 1373.
King
Ethelwulf of Wessex, father of
Alfred the Great was born in Aachen.
RWTH Aachen, established in 1870, is one of the major Institutes of Technology, especially for electrical and mechanical engineering, computer sciences and physics. As a part of it, the
Klinikum Aachen is the biggest single-building hospital in Europe. Over time, a host of software and computer industries have developed around the university.
FH Aachen,
[Aachen University of Applied Sciences (AcUAS)]founded in 1971,The AcUAS does not only offer the classical engineering education in professions like Mechatronics,Construction Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering " in an intensive dialogue with commerce, politics and professional practice new and application-oriented programs have been and are continually developed, which exceed today's requirements by far.
Internationality is also underlined by the range of academic courses on offer: German and international students are educated in more than 20 international or foreign-oriented programs and can acquire German as well as international degrees (Bachelor/Master) or Doppeldiplome (double degrees). The fraction of foreign students meanwhile amounts to more than 21 %.
*
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle*
Aachen (district)*
List of mayors of Aachen*
Aachener* -
Reims (
France) since
January 28 1967* -
Halifax/
Calderdale (
United Kingdom) since
November 14 1979* -
Toledo (
Spain) since
January 26 1985* -
Ningbo (宁波) (the
People's Republic of China) since
October 25 1986* -
Naumburg (
Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) since
May 30 1988* -
Arlington County (
Virginia,
USA) since
September 17 1993* -
Cape Town (
South Africa), since
1999* -
Kostroma (
Russia) since
June 9 2005Aachen is known in different languages by different names (see also
Names of European cities in different languages).
See also:
Aachen dialect*
City of Aachen (partly available in English)
*
ASEAG (public bus transport) (in German)
*
RWTH Aachen (University of technical science, Aachen)
*
Fachhochschule Aachen (Aachen University of Applied Sciences)
*
Google Earth placemark with official image overlays*
Einhard's Annals: first mention of
Aquis villa, 765
*
Aachen Zoo at Zoo-Infos.de (in English)*
Article on Aachen's historic buildings*
Map of the Aachen Area in 1789
