I made a day trip to Aachen from Cologne on 16 April 2022. My primary purpose was to see Aachen Cathedral (where 31 kings and 12 queens were crowned from 936 to 1531 AD), where Charlemagne had built his palace (in the 790s), and what was the primary royal residence for the Carolingian Empire and an imperial residence for the Holy Roman Empire. Lot of history behind this city.
Looking up at the exterior of the Palatine Chapel, which began construction under Charlemagne in 796 AD, is where the first Holy Roman Emperor was buried, and later became part of Aachen Cathedral.
‘St. Stephanus, the Apostolic King of Hungary’ by Imre Varga (1993 AD) – located outside of Aachen Cathedral.
Viewing the sculptures on the exterior of Aachen Cathedral.
Aachen Cathedral, seen from Katschhof.
Aachen Rathaus (“Town Hall”), on the northern end of Katschhof.
Main entrance to Aachen Cathedral.
Colorful buildings in Marktplatz am Rathaus in Aachen.
Main entrance and façade of Aachen Town Hall; the Town Hall was built in the first half of the 14th-century AD.
Master Craftsmen’s Court inside the Town Hall.
Red Hall (or “Peace Hall”), where negotiations to end the Austrian War of Succession were originally meant to take place, but never did.
Council Hall.
Aachen Cathedral, seen from inside the Town Hall; the area from the Town hall to the Cathedral was the site of Charlemagne’s original palace.
Coronation Hall in the top floor of the Town Hall; completed in 1349 AD, this was the site of coronation banquets up to the last coronation in Aachen, in 1531 AD.
Replicas of the Imperial Regalia that were created by order of Kaiser Wilhelm II for an exhibition to commemorate the 31 coronations that took place in Aachen between 813 and 1531 AD (NOTE: the originals can be viewed inside the Imperial Treasury in Vienna).
Marktplatz am Rathaus, viewed from the entrance to the Town Hall.
Statue of Charlemagne on top of the fountain, with Aachen Town Hall in the background.
Some of the old(ish) buildings in Aachen.