Aachen

(Redirected from Aix-la-Chapelle)

Aachen (/ˈɑːxən/[1][2] German: [ˈʔaːxn̩] ( listen); Aachen dialect: Oche [ˈɔːxə]; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle[a][2][3] 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 .

Aachen Cathedral night.jpg
Hauptaltar mit Marienschrein - Innere des Aachener Dom - Aachen - Nordrhein-Westfalen - Deutschland (21776757089).jpgKarlsschrein front side left.jpg
Aachen cathedral octagon ceiling.jpgSt. Michael 4.jpg
St Johann-Baptist 2.jpgAachen Theatre.jpg
AachenWinterPanorama.jpg
Flag of Aachen
Coat of arms of Aachen
Location of Aachen within Aachen district
Aachen in AC (2009).svg
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)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
52062–52080
Vehicle registrationAC / MON
Websiteaachen.de

History

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.[4]

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.

Aachen Media

Notes

References

  1. "Aachen". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 January 2019. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |work= at position 9 (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Aachen". Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
  3. "Aix-la-Chapelle" Archived 2019-04-21 at the Wayback Machine (US) and "Aix-la-Chapelle". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 January 2019. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |work= at position 9 (help)
  4. The new American Desk Encyclopedia. Signet. 1984. p. 9. ISBN 0-451-12803-6.

Other websites

  Media related to Aachen at Wikimedia Commons