Aachen

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Cathedral city and spa in the Land (state) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 64 km/40 mi southwest of Cologne, near the Dutch and Belgian borders; population (2003 est) 241,300. It has a thriving iron and steel industry; manufacturing includes electronics, glass, food, woollen textiles, rubber, and metal goods. One of Germany's principal railway junctions, it lies at the centre of a coalmining district, although coal and lignite production is in decline. Aachen was the Roman Aquisgranum and was the site of baths in the 1st century. It has been visited for its thermal springs since Roman times, and the spa facilities continue today. Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor from 800, made it his northern capital and the leading centre of Carolingian civilization.

From the late 8th century, the city became the hub of the great empire of Charlemagne, both for strategic reasons and for its thermal springs. The 14th-century Rathaus (town hall), containing the hall of the emperors, is built on the site of Charlemagne's imperial palace, and includes the 9th-century Granus Tower. The cathedral, founded by Charlemagne in 796 and in which he is buried, has a Gothic choir, completed in 1414; the Palatine chapel dates from the 9th century. Charlemagne's relics are exhibited to the public every seven years; there was an exhibition in 2000. The Holy Roman Emperors were crowned here from 813 until 1531. In World War II, Aachen was the first major German city to be taken by the Allies when it was captured by the US 1st Army in October 1944; a large part of the city was destroyed and has since been rebuilt. In 1949 the city founded the Charlemagne Prize, honouring people who have contributed to European cooperation.

Blue represents the sky. The golden sun symbolizes the country's hopes for the future. Effective date: 4 June 1992. >>