Aachen christmas market Day trip from Brussels

Aachen  is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, at the point where Germany borders on Belgium and the Netherlands. Historically this spa-town was a prominent city, the place where the German Kings were crowned, and a famously favoured residence of Charlemagne who still lies buried in the impressive cathedral he himself had built. The city is packed with historic sights that remind of those days, including medieval buildings, city gates and beautiful fountains.

Today, Aachen has become a pleasant mix of historic (often Baroque) grandeur and modern innovation. It has a population of 246,000 and is home to a large and highly regarded university. All in all, a place well worth visiting.

In French (including crossborder train services from Brussels and Paris), the city is known as Aix-la-Chapelle or Aquisgrán, whereas its Dutch name is Aken.

Aachen Cathedral — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Opening times: Jan- Mar: M 10AM-1PM; Tu-Su 10AM-5PM; 1st Th/month 10AM-10PM. Apr-Dec: M 10AM-1PM; Tu-Su 10AM-6PM; Th 10AM-9PM

Aachen Cathedral is one of the most famous examples of occidental architecture.n Around 800, the core building of the Palace Chapel was built. During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Gothic choir (the «Aachen glasshouse»), the north and south chapel were added. Through the centuries, many other constructions and decorations were completed. Today, it is a unique and beautiful two-storey cathedral of classical pillars, bronze railings, golden masterpices, glassworks, etc.

The cathedral is the memorial and funeral place of Charlemagne (+814). During 936-1531, 30 kings and 12 queens were anointed, crowned and enthroned here. In the Middle Ages, it was one of Christendom's most important venues for pilgrimage, together with Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. Heiligtumsfahrt(the Aachen pilgrimage) takes place every year since 1349 (the next one will be in June 2014). In 1978 it was the first German building to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Rathaus

The medieval town hall. The mayor of Aachen has his office still in there.

• Vaals

The small dutch town directly next to Aachen.

• Uniklinik The university's hospital. One striking example of post-modern architecture like the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
• RWTH AachenIf you are interested in architecture, you can find all building styles from 1900 till today concentrated at the city-campus around Templergraben.
  • Main building
  • Kármán Auditorium
  • Audimax
  • Mogam
  • Super-C The reception building of the RWTH-Aachen. Build to resemble the letter C. Nicely illuminated at night.
  • Reiff Museum
  • Rogowski building
  • Department of mining
  • Semi 90
  • Heizkraftwerk (now lecture halls)