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{{Infobox German location
|Name               = Aachen
|French_name        = Aix-la-Chapelle
|Latin/Italian_name = Aquinsgrana
|Art                = Stadt
|image_photo        = KaiserKarlsGymnasium, Aachen.jpg
|imagesize          =
|image_caption      = Panoramic view of Aachen, including Kaiser-Karls-[[Gymnasium]] (foreground), townhall (back center) and Aachen Cathedral (back right)
|Wappen             = Stadtwappen der kreisfreien Stadt Aachen.svg
|lat_deg = 50 | lat_min = 46 | lat_sec = 31
|lon_deg =  6 | lon_min =  4 | lon_sec = 58
|Karte              =
|Lageplan           = Aachen in AC (2009).svg
|Lageplanbeschreibung =
|Bundesland         = North Rhine-Westphalia
|Regierungsbezirk   = [[Köln]]
|district           = Aachen
|Höhe               = 266
|Fläche             = 160.83
|area_metro         =
|Einwohner          = 259839 
|pop_metro          =
|Stand              = 30 June 2022
|pop_ref            =
|PLZ                = 
|Gemeindeschlüssel  = 
|Vorwahl            = 
|Kfz                = AC
|Website            = [http://www.aachen.de www.aachen.de]
|Bürgermeister      = 
|Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister
|Partei             = 
|ruling_party1      = 
|ruling_party2      =
|year               =
}}
'''Aachen''' ([[French language|French]]: {{lang|fr|''Aix-la-Chapelle''}}, {{lang-la|Aquisgranum}}, [[Ripuarian language|Ripuarian]]: {{lang|de|''Oche''}}, {{lang-nl|Aken}}) is a historic [[spa town|spa city]] in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], [[Germany]]. It was the favoured residence of [[German-Roman Emperor]] ''[[Karl]] der Große'' (also known as [[Charlemagne]]), and the place of coronation of the [[Kings of Germany]]. 

==History==
: ''Originally a [[Roman]] spa called Aquisgranum, Aachen rose to prominence in the late 8th century during the rule of Charlemagne, becoming his favourite residence and a centre of [[Western culture]] and learning. From the coronation of [[Otto I]] in 936 until the 16th century, more than 30 [[German emperors and kings]] were crowned at Aachen. Aachen was fortified in the late 12th century and granted municipal [[rights]] in 1166 and 1215, and it became a free imperial city about 1250. Aachen began to decline in the 16th century. It was too remote from the centre of Germany to be convenient as a capital, and in the 1560s the coronation site was changed to Frankfurt am Main. Aachen was frequently at odds with the emperors during the [[Protestant Reformation]]. In 1656 the city was devastated by a great fire. Aachen hosted several [[peace]] conferences, including those ending the War of Devolution (1668) and the War of the Austrian Succession (1748). Occupied by Napoleon’s army in 1794 and annexed by [[France]] in 1801, it was given to [[Prussia]] after the [https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Wiener_Kongre%C3%9F Congress of Vienna] (1814–15). The city was briefly occupied by the Belgians after [[World War I]]. It was [[Bombing of Germany during World War II|severely damaged in World War II]], and it became the first large [[German]] city to fall to the Allies (October 20, 1944).''<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/place/Aachen Aachen], [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]</ref>

==Location==
Aachen is the westernmost city of Germany, located along its borders with [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]], 65 km (40 mi) west of [[Cologne]].<ref [[name]]=CVDE>Bridgwater, W. & Beatrice Aldrich. (1966) ''The Columbia-Viking Desk Encyclopedia''. Columbia University. p11.</ref> [[RWTH Aachen University]], one of the [[German Universities Excellence Initiative|Germany's Universities of Excellence]], is located in the city.<ref>"RWTH" is the abbreviation of "Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule", which translates into "Rhine-Westphalian Technical University". The institution is commonly referred to as "RWTH Aachen" or simply "RWTH", with the abbreviation remaining untranslated in other languages to avoid the use of the "Hochschule" term, which is sometimes mistakenly translated as [[Highschool#United States|highschool]]. Sometimes, RWTH Aachen is also referred to as "TH Aachen" or "Aachen University".<br/>''Note:'' The term "FH Aachen" does not refer to the RWTH but to the [[Fachhochschule Aachen]], a [[university of applied sciences]], which is also located in Aachen.</ref><ref name="rwth-aachen.de">[http://www.rwth-aachen.de/global/show_document.asp?id=aaaaaaaaaabdzfc 2007 statistics of RWTH Aachen University]''(German; retrieved 2009-04-09)''</ref>

: ''Aachen is situated directly on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. It is Germany’s most westerly city, with a population of 250,000. More than 50,000 students attend Aachen’s four major colleges and universities (Rhineland-Westphalian Technical University [RWTH], University of Applied Sciences, [[Catholic]] University of Applied Sciences and Academy of [[Music]]). Aachen unites [[tradition]] with progress. Charlemagne has [[left]] his mark throughout the city. The cathedral - the first monument in Germany to be included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage list - and the gothic City Hall in which 32 German kings celebrated their coronations still form the heart of Aachen’s old city centre. And Charlemagne has lent his name to a prize awarded by Aachen’s citizens to personalities who have rendered outstanding services to [[European]] unity: the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. This award has been presented on Ascension Day every year since 1950. But Aachen is by no means just a museum; it is a modern city, open to the world, with [[political]], economic and cultural contacts that reach far beyond Germany’s borders. One example is Europe’s first transnational industrial estate with the name Avantis, which was developed in cooperation with the Dutch town of Heerlen. At [[Expo|EXPO]] 2000 in Hanover, Aachen was presented as a European model region, as a fine example of successful structural change and a remarkable instance of a region’s departure from mining and conventional industry to become one of Europe’s major high-tech locations. This success story is a result of cooperation between the universities and the chambers of industry, research institutions, companies, business establishment centres and the city’s administration. The [[scientific]] competence available in Aachen has attracted famous international enterprises and research institutions including Ericsson, Ford, Philips, Microsoft and Grünenthal, and enabled the successful placing of up-and-coming [[technology]] companies such as Aixtron and Parsytec on the Neuer Markt in Frankfurt. Aachen’s colleges and universities develop top technologies for the sunrise industries such as information and telecommunication engineering, plastics engineering, computer [[science]], materials science and biotechnology.''<ref>[https://www.aachen.de/en/sb/ac/index.html General Information]</ref>

==Travel==
There's a charming contrast between the grand old buildings and the open-minded attitude and exuberant buzz created by 45,000 students hailing from all corners of the globe. Also not to be missed are the modern works on display at the Ludwig Forum for International Art. Each stop along the way focuses on a different topic: [[history]], science, [[Europe]], [[religion]], power, business and media. The lack of an equestrian-themed stop is somewhat of an oversight, though, as the annual Concours Hippique International Officiel (CHIO) in Aachen is one of the world's leading equestrian tournaments.

===Aachen Cathedral===
Aachen Cathedral is both a local landmark and a monument to Europe's illustrious past. Built in around 800 AD, it was the first cathedral in northern Europe. Across a period spanning centuries, it served as the church of coronation for nearly every German king. Its treasury houses one of the most significant collections of church treasures north of the Alps. So it's no wonder both the cathedral and its treasury are among the highlights on the sightseeing route that winds through Aachen and takes in a series of spectacular buildings.
==See also==
*[[Holy Roman Emperor]]

==External links==
* [https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Endkampf_um_Aachen Battle of Aachen 1944 (in German)]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Cities]]
[[Category:Holy Roman Empire]]