Aachen
| Aachen Aachen |
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 Aachen
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| Coordinates | 50°46′0″N 6°6′0″E / 50.766667°N 6.1°E |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
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| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Cologne |
| District | Urban district |
| Lord Mayor | Marcel Philipp (CDU) |
| Governing parties | CDU / SPD / Greens |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 160.87 km2 (62.11 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 266 m (873 ft) |
| Population | 258,770 |
| - Density | 1,609 /km2 (4,166 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | AC |
| Postal codes | 52062–52080 |
| Area codes | 0241 / 02405 / 02407 / 02408 |
| Website | www.aachen.de |
| Free Imperial City of Aachen / Aix-la-Chapelle Freie Reichsstadt Aachen |
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| Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||
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| Capital | Aachen | |||
| Government | Republic | |||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | |||
| - Settlement founded | ca 6th millennium BC | |||
| - Gained Reichsfreiheit | 1306 | |||
| - Otto I crowned Emperor | 936 | |||
| - Fire devastated city | 1656 | |||
| - First Treaty ended War of Devolution |
May 2 1668 |
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| - Second Treaty ended War of Austrian Succession |
April–May 1748 |
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| - Annexed by France | 1801 | |||
| - Third Treaty handles post-Napoleonic France |
October–November 1818 |
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Aachen is a German city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has about 260,000 inhabitants and a well-known university, the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH).
History[change | change source]
The Romans built a spa over hot water springs here in ancient times.
In the Middle Ages, it was the capital city of the Frankish emperor, Charlemagne. The city was called Aix-la-Chapelle by the French.
Charlemagne ordered the building of a cathedral in 786 AD. He was buried in a tomb in this cathedral. German emperors were crowned in the cathedral in Aachen until 1531.[1]
European countries made two important peace agreements in Aachen. In 1668, the first treaty (agreement) ended the War of Devolution between France and the alliance of England, Holland and Sweden. The treaty allowed France to keep most of the towns it had captured in Flanders the year before. In 1748, the second treaty ended the War of the Austrian Succession. In this war, France, Prussia, and other nations tried to take territory from the Austrian Empire. The treaty said that Maria Theresa of Austria was the ruler of these territories. It also gave Prussia the territory of Silesia.[1]
Since 1972, Aachen has been part of the Cologne Government Region.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The new American Desk Encyclopedia. Signet. 1984. p. page 9. ISBN 0-451-12803-6.
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