Aachen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
| Aachen | |
|---|---|
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| Federal state | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Administrative region | Cologne |
| District | none |
| Population | 257,250 (2005) |
| Area | 160.83 km² |
| Population density | 1,600/km² |
| Elevation | 125-410 m |
| Coordinates | 50°46′ N 6°6′ E |
| Postal code | 52062-52080 |
| Area code | 0241 |
| Licence plate code | AC |
| Mayor | Jürgen Linden (SPD) |
| Website | aachen.de |
Aachen (French Aix-la-Chapelle, Dutch Aken, Latin Aquisgranum, Ripuarian Oche) is a spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands, 65 km to the west of Cologne, and the westernmost city in Germany, at 50°46′ N 6°6′ E. Population: 256,605 (2003).
RWTH Aachen, established in 1870, is one of the major Institutes of Technology, especially for electrical and mechanical engineering. As a part of it, the Klinikum Aachen is the biggest single-building hospital in Europe. Over time, a host of software and computer industries have developed around the university.
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History
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 the celtic God of water and health. Since the Roman times, the hot springs have been channeled into baths (which are still in use). âh- is an Old German cognate with Latin aqua, both meaning "water". In French-speaking areas of the former Empire the word aquas was turned into aix, hence Aix-en-Provence is an old Roman spa in Provence, France.
After Roman times the place was abandoned until the 8th century, when it was mentioned under the name Aquis villa. In the year 768 Charlemagne came to Aachen for the first time. He liked the place and began to build a palace twenty years later. The magnificent chapel of the palace, 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 king in the cathedral. From then on the kings of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned 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. Aachen remained a free city within the Holy Roman 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.
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.
Badly damaged in World War II, on October 21, 1944 Aachen was the first German city to be overrun by Allied troops, the U.S. Ninth Army.
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 can be found in the church. The cathedral of Aachen is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage.
Miscellaneous
Aachen is an industrial centre and a major railway junction, including the Thalys high-speed train network. A major industry of the past was the needle production, which led to the distinctive mark of the people from Aachen, the Klenkes. The small finger of the right hand is spread from the hand, which was originally the way women sorted the needles.
Robert Browning's poem "How they brought the good news from Ghent to Aix" refers to Aachen, but not to any historical fact.
The annual CHIO (short for the French Concours Hippique International Officiel) is the biggest equestrian meeting of Germany and among horsemen considered to be as prestigious for equitation as the tournament of Wimbledon for tennis. Aachen will also be host of the 2006 World Equestrian Games.
The local football team Alemannia Aachen plays in Germany's second division. Their stadium is called Tivoli.
Since 1950 the city annually awards the Karlspreis (German for Charlemagne Award) to persons who did extraordinary service for the unification of Europe. In 2003 the medal was awarded to Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. In 2004, Pope John Paul II's efforts to unite Europe were honored with an Extraordinary Charlemagne Medal, which was awarded for the first time ever.
The local speciality of Aachen are cookies called Printen, a local version of gingerbread. In contrast to Lebkuchen they are sweetened with sugar instead of honey.
In 1372, Aachen became the first coin issuing city in the world to regularly place an Anno Domini date on a general circulation coin, a groschen. It is written MCCCLXXII. None with this date are known to be in existence any longer. The earliest date for which an Aachen coin is still extant is dated 1373.
See also: Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, Aachen (district)
Town twinning
Aachen has several partner cities:
- Reims (France) since January 28, 1967
- Halifax/Calderdale (United Kingdom) since November 14, 1979
- Toledo (Spain) since January 26, 1985
- Ningbo (China) since October 25, 1986
- Naumburg (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) since May 30, 1988
- Arlington County (Virginia), USA) since September 17, 1993
- Kostroma (Russia) since June 9, 2005
The municipality Walheim had a parnership with the French Montebourg since 1960, which was continued by Aachen in 1972 when Walheim was incorporated into the town and became the borough Aachen-Kornelimünster/Walheim.
Buildings and Constructions
Name in Different Languages
Aachen is known in different languages by different names (see also Names of European cities in different languages). The names derive from either German, French or Latin.
| Language | Name | Pronunciation in IPA |
|---|---|---|
| German | Aachen | /ˈaːxən/ |
| Ripuarian | Oche | /ˈoːxə/ |
| Anglicized version of the German | Aachen | /ˈɑːkən/ |
| French | Aix-la-Chapelle | /ɛkslaʃapɛl/ |
| Catalan | Aquisgrà | /ɐkizˈɣɾa/ |
| Czech | Cáchy | |
| Polish | Akwizgran | |
| Dutch | Aken | /ˈaːkən/ |
| Spanish | Aquisgrán | /akisˈɣɾan/ |
| Italian | Aquisgrana | /ˌakwisˈgɾaːna/ |
| Latin | Aquīsgrānum | /ˌakwiːsˈgɾaːnum/ |
External links
- City of Aachen (partly available in English)
- ASEAG (public bus transport) (in German)
- RWTH Aachen (Institute of Technology)
- Fachhochschule Aachen (Aachen University of Applied Sciences)
- Aachen in the Ripuarian Wiki Project
- Columbia Encyclopedia® article about Aachen
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Cities and Districts in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) |
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Cities |
Aachen | Bergisch Gladbach | Bielefeld | Bochum | Bonn | Bottrop | Dortmund | Duisburg | Düsseldorf | Essen | Gelsenkirchen | Hagen | Hamm | Herne | Köln (Cologne) | Iserlohn | Krefeld | Leverkusen | Mönchengladbach | Mülheim | Münster | Oberhausen | Remscheid | Solingen | Wuppertal |
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Districts |
Aachen | Borken | Kleve (Cleves) | Coesfeld | Düren | Ennepe-Ruhr | Euskirchen | Gütersloh | Heinsberg | Herford Hochsauerland | Höxter | Lippe | Märkischer Kreis | Mettmann | Minden-Lübbecke | Oberbergischer Kreis Olpe | Paderborn | Recklinghausen | Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis | Rhein-Erft-Kreis | Rhein-Kreis Neuss Rhein-Sieg-Kreis | Siegen-Wittgenstein | Soest | Steinfurt | Unna | Viersen | Warendorf | Wesel |
