Aachen

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Aachen
City
Clockwise from top: Aachen Cathedral, Karlsschrein, St Michael's Church (Burtscheid), Aachen Theatre, Aachen tower silhouette, St John's Church (Burtscheid Abbey), Palatine Chapel dome, Aachen Cathedral choir with Marienschrein
Flag of Aachen
Flag
Coat of arms of Aachen
Coat of arms
Location of Aachen within Aachen district
Aachen is located in Germany
Aachen
Aachen
Aachen is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Aachen
Aachen
Coordinates: 50°46′32″N 06°05′01″E / 50.77556°N 6.08361°E / 50.77556; 6.08361Coordinates: 50°46′32″N 06°05′01″E / 50.77556°N 6.08361°E / 50.77556; 6.08361
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionCologne
DistrictAachen
Government
 • Lord mayorSibylle Keupen (Greens)
 • Governing partiesCDU / SPD
Area
 • Total160.85 km2 (62.10 sq mi)
Elevation
173 m (568 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[1]
 • Total249,070
 • Density1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
52062–52080
Dialling codes0241 / 02405 / 02407 / 02408
Vehicle registrationAC / MON
Websiteaachen.de

Aachen (/ˈɑːxən/[2][3] German: [ˈʔaːxn̩] (audio speaker iconlisten); Aachen dialect: Oche [ˈɔːxə]; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle[a][3][4] French: [ɛks la ʃapɛl]; Latin: Aquae Granni or Aquisgranum; Dutch: Aken) 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). It is also the location of the 1944 Battle of Aachen during World War II where the United States fought Nazi Germany .

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.

Aachen Cathedral

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.[5]

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.

Since 1972, Aachen has been part of the Cologne Government Region.

Notes[change | change source]

  1. ↑ UK: /ˌɛks lə ʃəˈpɛl/, US: /ˌɛks lɑː ʃɑːˈpɛl, ˌeɪks-/

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2021" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Aachen". Oxford Dictionaries UK Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Aachen". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  4. ↑ "Aix-la-Chapelle" Archived 2019-04-21 at the Wayback Machine (US) and "Aix-la-Chapelle". Oxford Dictionaries UK Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  5. ↑ The new American Desk Encyclopedia. Signet. 1984. p. 9. ISBN 0-451-12803-6.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Aachen at Wikimedia Commons



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