Aix-la-Chapelle / Aachen

Aix-la-Chapelle / Aachen

Picture above: The magnificent Aachen Cathedral (Aachener Dom) which is the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe (786) and was built by Emperor Carolus Magnus. The cathedral is by its architectural richness and its historical symbolic significance one of the most important European buildings.

Aachen is a city in the Nordrhein-Westfalen, exceeds a population of 100,000 and has been the westernmost German city.

With the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) has Aachen one of the largest and most traditional technical university in Europe.
The city’s landmark, the Aachen Cathedral was founded by Charlemagne as a masterpiece of Carolingian architecture. The cathedral treasure was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978 as the first German cultural monument and the second worldwide.

Due to the frontier location in the heart of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine there are numerous cultural, especially architectural influences from the neighboring regions the Belgian and Dutch area.

Charlemagne/Carolus Magnus, King of the Franks made Aachen the political, cultural and spiritual center of his empire and was regarded by his contemporaries as the “father of Europe”

The International Charlemagne Prize/Karlspreis of Aachen is the oldest and best-known prize award to a person who promotes the European unification.
Aachen is a state-approved spa and Aachener Printen is a local specialty.