The small German town of Aachen is close to the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. Many tourists come here to get acquainted with the history of the town, when it was the capital of the Frankish Kingdom created by Charlemagne. Aachen is also a well-known European balneological resort.
Excavations show that the mineral springs of Aachen were used by the ancient Celts in the 4th century BC. In the 2nd century AD, Gaul was conquered by the Romans, and they founded a military camp here, which they called Aqua Grani, in honor of the Celtic god of healing Granus. Thermae were created here, and Aachen became a fortified town. Legionnaires came to Aachen for rest and treatment.
Aachen in the age of Charlemagne
When the barbarian tribes drove the Romans from these lands, Aachen was forgotten for several centuries. The town flourished during the reign of Charlemagne. He was born in 742, and began to rule in 754. During his long life, he spent more than 53 military campaigns. In most of them he led the troops personally. Charles expanded the territory of the Kingdom of the Franks to an enormous size. It included modern France, Germany and Italy. This forced him to have residences in various locations, but over time Aachen became the main capital of his state. Mineral springs played an important role in choosing a place for the capital. Charlemagne, like the ancient Romans, was very fond of taking water treatments and did so almost every day when he returned from conquering campaigns.
In 800, he was crowned Emperor of the West in Rome. However, he already wanted to crown his heirs in Aachen, so in 796 he ordered the construction of the Palace Chapel, which became part of his palace. It has survived to this day and is one of the most significant historical and cultural monuments in Germany.
In addition to its metropolitan status, Aachen became the center of Europe`s cultural renaissance, which was later called the "Carolingian Renaissance". In the period 798-802, when Charlemagne`s power reached its maximum influence, he brought many Christian relics to Aachen from Jerusalem and Constantinople. They are now kept in the Aachen Cathedral and in the Aachen Treasury. Thanks to them, Aachen became one of the main places of pilgrimage in Western Europe. After his death in 814, Charlemagne was buried in the Imperial Chapel of Aachen Cathedral.
Aachen - the place of the coronation of the Holy Roman emperors
After the death of Charlemagne, Aachen gradually began to lose its metropolitan functions, and the united kingdom of the Franks quickly collapsed. Charlemagne`s heir, Louis the Pious, divided the empire between his three sons during his lifetime. After his death in 840, violent internecine wars between the heirs began. As a result of these wars, states appeared on the map of Europe, which then transformed into modern France, Germany and Italy. Aachen was no longer their capital.
In 881, Aachen survived the invasion of the Normans. As a result, many buildings of the age of Charlemagne were destroyed. Only the Palace (Palatine) Chapel has been preserved.
After the internecine wars of the Carolingians, the Holy Roman Empire was founded, which became a union of German, Italian, Frankish and other peoples and principalities, which for several centuries were part of it. It was created by king Otto I of Germany.
The town of Aachen was chosen for the coronation of the Holy Roman emperors. They were crowned in Aachen Cathedral for 595 years, from 936 to 1531. In 1531, the Holy Roman Empire was transformed into the Holy Roman Empire of the German States, and the coronation site was moved to Frankfurt am Main.
The coronation ceremony was held in Aachen cathedral on the throne of Charlemagne. After that, celebrations were held in the Coronation Hall of the Aachen Town Hall. The Town Hall is located on the site of the former palace of Charlemagne. One of the towers of the Town Hall, the Granus Tower, preserved from the time of Charlemagne. The Granus Tower is the oldest surviving building in Aachen. It was built in 788, ten years before the construction of the Chapel of Aachen cathedral.
Pilgrimage to Aachen
Charlemagne is considered the founder of Christianity in Western Europe. The baptism of the European states took place long before the time of Charles. King Clovis of the Franks was baptized in 496 in Reims. But then the dark ages followed. Many tribes continued to practice paganism or heretical teachings.
Charlemagne, during his conquests, spread the canonical Christian religion everywhere. In 800, he was crowned Emperor of the West in Rome. His influence increased so much that he was able to obtain many Christian shrines from Jerusalem and Constantinople.
In the Aachen Cathedral are kept the Shrouds of the Infant Christ, in which he was wrapped after his birth in Bethlehem. Also here is kept the undergarment of the Virgin Mary, in which she gave birth to Jesus Christ. The cathedral contains the belt and armbands of Jesus Christ, in which he carried his cross along the Via Dolorosa and then was crucified on Calvary. There is a gust on which John the Baptist was beheaded, and then his head was presented on a platter to Queen Salome.
In the Treasury of Aachen there are reliquaries, which contain a piece of the pin and crown of thorns of Jesus Christ, the hair of John the Baptist, the relics of the Apostle John, the relics of St. Helena, the relics of St. Nicholas. The gilded coffin with the body of Charlemagne placed in Aachen Cathedral. At the insistence of King Frederick I Barbarossa, Charlemagne was canonized, but the Vatican did not officially recognize this canonization.
From 1238 to the present day, every 7 years, these Christian shrines are shown to pilgrims. The pilgrimage to Aachen is as important for Catholics as the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostella.
Aachen-balneological resort
In 1656, a large fire occurred in Aachen. Almost 90% of all the houses in the town burned down. After that, Aachen had to be rebuilt. In the 18th century, this work was entrusted to two architects Lorenz Meffetdatis and Johann Cuven. Thanks to their efforts, the town has turned into a modern balneological resort.
After the French Revolution, Aachen was passed to France, but after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the town again became Prussian. In the region around Aachen, the cloth industry was actively developing, but the main advantage of the town is its thermal springs. This predetermined the development of Aachen and its suburb Burtscheid as a balneological resort.
In the gallery of the Elisenbrunnen, you can see marble plates where are written the names of dozens of monarchs and very famous people who came to Aachen for balneological procedures. Nowadays, the mineral water of many springs is supplied mainly to medical clinics; however, everyone can visit the complex of the Carolus Thermen. You can swim there in the pools with mineral water and take spa treatments.
