Aachen thermal springs

Aachen ( AH-khən; German: [ˈaːxn̩] (listen); Aachen dialect: Oche [ˈɔːxə]; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle;) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th-largest city of Germany. It is the westernmost city in Germany, and borders Belgium and the Netherlands to the west, the triborder area. It is located between Maastricht (NL) and Liège (BE) in the west, and Bonn and Cologne in the east. The Wurm River flows through the city, and together with Mönchengladbach, Aachen is the only larger German city in the drainage basin of the Meuse. Aachen is the seat of the City Region Aachen (German: Städteregion Aachen). Aachen developed from a Roman settlement and thermaecode: lat promoted to code: la (bath complex), subsequently becoming the preferred medieval Imperial residence of Emperor Charlemagne of the Frankish Empire, and, from 936 to 1531, the place where 31 Holy Roman Emperors were crowned Kings of the Germans. One of Germany's leading institutes of higher education in technology, the RWTH Aachen University (Rheinisch-Westfälisch Technische Hochschule Aachencode: deu promoted to code: de ), is located in the city. Its university hospital Uniklinikum Aachen is Europe's largest single-building hospital. Aachen's industries include science, engineering and information technology. In 2009, Aachen was ranked eighth among cities in Germany for innovation. The regional dialect spoken in the city is a Central Franconian, Ripuarian variant with strong Limburgish influences from the dialects in the neighbouring Netherlands. As a Rhenish city, Aachen is one of the main centres of carnival celebrations in Germany, along with Cologne, Mainz and Düsseldorf. The culinary specialty for which the city is best known is Aachener Printen, a type of gingerbread.

The Palace of Aachen was a group of buildings with residential, political, and religious purposes chosen by Charlemagne to be the center of power of the Carolingian Empire. The palace was located north of the current city of Aachen, today in the German Land of North Rhine-Westphalia. Most of the Carolingian palace was built in the 790s but the works went on until Charlemagne's death in 814. The plans, drawn by Odo of Metz, were part of the program of renovation of the kingdom decided by the ruler. Today much of the palace is destroyed, but the Palatine Chapel has been preserved and is considered a masterpiece of Carolingian architecture and a characteristic example of architecture from the Carolingian Renaissance.

Aachen Town Hall (German: "Rathaus") is a landmark of cultural significance located in the Altstadt of Aachen, Germany. It was built in the Gothic architecture style in the first half of the 14th century.

Aachen-Mitte is one of the seven boroughs of the city of Aachen, Germany, and contains the quarters of Beverau, Bildchen, Burtscheid, Forst, Frankenberg, Grüne Eiche, Hörn, Lintert, Pontviertel, Preuswald, Ronheide, Rothe Erde, Stadtmitte, Steinebrück and West. As the center of the city of Aachen, the district is by far the most populated, with over 168,000 residents. It contains both the Aachen Cathedral and Aachen Rathaus, which are each near the city center, as well as Aachen's main theatre. Numerous squares, including Hansemannplatz, Kaiserplatz, and Lindenplatz are likewise contained within the district, as is the medieval Ponttor, which was one of the original gates in the wall surrounding the city.

Aachen Chapel of Hungary (Hungarian: Aacheni magyar kápolna) is a side chapel of the Aachen Cathedral (German: Aachener Dom), one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe.

The Bust of Charlemagne (de: Karlsbüste) is a reliquary from around 1350 which contains the top part of Charlemagne's skull. The reliquary is part of the treasure kept in the Aachen Cathedral Treasury. Made in the Mosan region (the valley of the River Meuse), long a centre of high-quality metalwork, the bust is a masterpiece both of late Gothic metalwork and of figural sculpture. The Bust of Charlemagne, as a masterpiece of Mosan goldwork, initiated a height of silver-gilt naturalistic reliquary busts.

Aachen Cathedral (German: Aachener Dom) is a Roman Catholic church in Aachen, Germany and the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aachen. One of the oldest cathedrals in Europe, it was constructed by order of Emperor Charlemagne, who was buried there in 814. From 936 to 1531, the Palatine Chapel saw the coronation of thirty-one German kings and twelve queens. The church has been the mother church of the Diocese of Aachen since 1930. In 1978, Aachen Cathedral was one of the first 12 items to be listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites, because of its exceptional artistry, architecture, and central importance in the history of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Battle of Aachen was a combat action of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 2–21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network on Germany's western border; the Allies had hoped to capture it quickly and advance into the industrialized Ruhr Basin. Although most of Aachen's civilian population was evacuated before the battle began, much of the city was destroyed and both sides suffered heavy losses. It was one of the largest urban battles fought by U.S. forces in World War II, and the first city on German soil to be captured by the Allies. The battle ended with a German surrender, but their tenacious defense significantly disrupted Allied plans for the advance into Germany.

The Aachen tramway network (German: Straßenbahnnetz Aachen) was the backbone of public transport in Aachen, now in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and the surrounding areas from 1880 to 1974. The track gauge was 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in), see Nordrhein-Westfalen. At times, the network also extended into Belgium and the Netherlands. At its maximum extent, its route length was 181.4 kilometres (112.7 mi) and its line length was 213.5 kilometres (132.7 mi). In 1914, it was the fourth largest tramway network in Germany. Also, it was one of the most extensive German interurban networks. In 1974, the last tramway in the network was closed. The network was operated from 1880 by the Aachener und Burtscheider Pferdeeisenbahn-Gesellschaft (in English: Aachen and Burtscheid Horse Railway Company), which in 1894 became the Aachener Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft (AKG, in English: Aachen Light Railway Company). In 1942 the name was changed to Aachener Straßenbahn und Energieversorgungs-AG (ASEAG, in English: Aachen Tramway and Power Company). It is now a bus company, but the company name still refers to trams.

The Barbarossa Chandelier (German: Barbarossaleuchter) was made on the order of Emperor Frederick I, nicknamed Barbarossa, and his wife Beatrice sometime between 1165 and 1170 and was installed under the cupola of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen Cathedral. The chandelier was a donation in honour of Mary, Mother of God, the patroness of Aachen Cathedral and simultaneously represented a tribute to the builder of the cathedral, Charlemagne.

The Throne of Charlemagne (German: Karlsthron or Aachener Königsthron, "Royal Throne of Aachen") is a throne erected in the 790s by Charlemagne, as one of the fittings of his palatine chapel in Aachen (today's Aachen Cathedral) and placed in the Octagon of the church. Until 1531, it served as the coronation throne of the King of the Romans, being used at a total of thirty-one coronations. As a result, especially in the eleventh century, it was referred to as the totius regni archisolium ("Archstool of the Whole Realm"). Charlemagne himself was not crowned on this throne, but instead in the Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome by Pope Leo III in 800 AD.

The Cross of Lothair or Lothair Cross (German: Lotharkreuz) is a crux gemmata (jewelled cross) processional cross dating from about 1000 AD, though its base dates from the 14th century. It was made in Germany, probably at Cologne. It is an outstanding example of medieval goldsmith's work, and "an important monument of imperial ideology", forming part of the Aachen Cathedral Treasury, which includes several other masterpieces of sacral Ottonian art. The measurements of the original portion are 50 cm height, 38.5 cm width, 2.3 cm depth. The cross comes from the period when Ottonian art was evolving into Romanesque art, and the engraved crucifixion on the reverse looks forward to the later period.