History

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."), 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. Its first Allied-appointed mayor, Franz Oppenhoff, was murdered by Nazi Werwolf terrorists.

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.

Aachen. (2006, November 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:01, November 7, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aachen&oldid=86011062