Holiday in Aachen

About Aachen

Aachen is the westernmost major city in Germany and was the residence city of Charlemagne, serving as the political center of the Frankish Empire. For over 600 years, 31 German kings were crowned here — Aachen was the center of European power in the Middle Ages. The Aachen Cathedral, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978 as the first German building, is an architectural masterpiece: The Carolingian Palatine Chapel from the 8th century with its octagonal floor plan and golden mosaics is one of the most significant sacred buildings in Europe. The shrine of Charlemagne in the cathedral contains the bones of Charlemagne, and the marble throne on which the kings were crowned is still preserved in its original form. At the Three Country Corner, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands meet — the observation tower at the tripoint is a popular excursion destination from which one can overlook three countries at once. The thermal springs of Aachen were known to the Romans: The Carolus Thermen Spa uses thermal water that reaches up to 74 °C, the oldest and hottest north of the Alps. The Aachen Printen are world-famous — this spicy pastry resembles gingerbread but is harder and more aromatic. They taste best fresh from the traditional bakeries Nobis or Klein. The International Charlemagne Prize, awarded annually for contributions to European unification, underscores Aachen's role as a European city.