Focus on Aachen, Germany

The westernmost city in Germany, Aachen is blessed with rich green surroundings and cursed with the rains (the most in the country) that make it so green. The unique combination of a large student population from RWTH Aachen University and the fact that it used to be a favorite residence of Charlemagne means that Aachen is at once a very old and very young city. Behind the surviving city gate you’ll find everything from Spanish tapas to South American salsa. Some Aachen firsts: In 1959, Aachen’s Scotch Club was the Germany’s first discothèque and local DJ Klaus Quirini (DJ Heinrich) was the first DJ. Here are some things to see and do in Aachen:

I. See Aachen Cathedral

Though eclipsed in popularity by Cathedrals found in Rouen, Canterbury and nearby Cologne, the fact is that Aachen Cathedral is one of the most historically important in all of Europe. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this is where 12 German kings and queens were crowned between 936 and 1531. But even more importantly, this is the final resting place of Charlemagne himself, who was buried here in grand fashion back in the year 814. Not nearly as grand as other Cathedrals that were built later, this is still a gem, with its 14th century Gothic choir, known as the Aachen Glasshouse, and its classical pillars, bronze railings and gold ornamentation. In Medieval times, the Cathedral rivaled Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela as a major pilgrimage site, and the Heiligtumsfahrt (Aachen Pilgrimage) which started in 1349 still takes place! Located in the town centre, the Cathedral is near the impressive medieval town hall, which still boasts the mayor’s office.

II. Go Shopping

The students make Aachen quite a vibrant place, and that feeling extends to Aachen shopping. On the streets between the Cathedral and the old town walls you’ll find a vast array of hip and trendy shops, restaurants and bars, both in streets with cars and pedestrian-only walkways. On the Adalbertstraße, the biggest shopping district, you’ll find some of the best shops and cafes in a pedestrian zone. More touristy are the shops of Krämerstraße and Market, while the Großkölnstraße is the second big pedestrian zone, featuring clothing and more. For boutique shopping you can hit Jakobstraße and for shopping by day and partying by night, Aachen’s Party Mall, the Pontstraße, features many fun bars and clubs where you can drink and dance the night away.

III. Have Dessert

If you thought you knew gingerbread, the bakeries of Aachen look forward to re-educating you. The city is home to a special kind of dessert heaven known as “Printen,” which is a gingerbread-like confection that has been taken the form of engraved pictures for over a thousand years. Now you can get the stuff in all different sizes and shapes, covered in chocolate and marzipan or filled with almonds. Though some of the spices you might recognize are cinnamon, aniseed, clove, cardamom, coriander, allspice and ginger, though the exact mixture is a secret. To sample some for yourself just feet from the Cathedral, you can go to Nobis Printen where they’ve been making the stuff since 1858.

If chocolate is your addiction, then you’re about to be very happy, because one of Aachen’s biggest factories actually makes the stuff, and visiting the Lindt Outlet Store is about as close as you’ll ever get to visiting Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Here you’ll find an entire supermarket’s worth of chocolates of every variety. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate drink mixes, chocolate shaped like animals, chocolate flavored with liqueurs, chocolate covering things, chocolate stuffed inside of things… and the best thing about it is that with the rock-bottom prices, your only limitations buying the stuff is figuring out how much you can fit into your suitcase on the flight home. We suggest throwing out some of your other luggage.

IV. Go Outside the City

Just a ten minute drive from the city is the spot where Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium come together; a spot called Dreiländereck. Like the Four Corners in the USA where Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico come together, much has been made of this spot where you can literally straddle three nations. The small monument marking the spot makes a great photo op, and for even better photo ops, you can climb to the top of the nearby observation tower which rises far above the surrounding forests.

Aachen is also close to where Germany’s last big push of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge was fought. Which brings us to a destination much more somber – the World War II Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial. 16 kilometers from the city on the Belgian side of the border, this cemetery is the final resting place for the 7,992 American casualties of the battle, and the monument with the names of 450 Americans whose remains were never found is quite moving. There’s also a museum and a chapel.

V. Hotels

Aachen offers a great variety of hotels, from the opulent five-star Pullman Aachen Quellenhof to the modern Aquis Grana City Hotel, which is located right across from the Town Hall. If you’re more comfortable with the reliability of a chain hotel, the three-star Mercure Hotel Aachen am Dom is also in the city centre, and if you want a hotel convenient for getting in and out of town, then two blocks from the main train station is the Ibis Aachen Marschiertor (Aix-la-Chapelle) Hotel. Of course there are also many other Aachen hotels from which to choose.