Aachen; The Stairway to Heaven

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Aachen

The most beautiful cathedral in the world

So for most people, myself included, Aachen is not a town on their list of must see destinations. Most will not even have heard of it.

I'm going to do my best now, to persuade you just to take a morning stop off there. You don't need much longer, but, honestly you won't regret it.

Aachen is an understated city found on the boarder of Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Its geographical importance made it the centre of Charlemagne's empire. The surviving architecture from Charlemagne's reign is just beautiful; the ruby in the crown has to be the quite exquisite blue and gold Dom.

Charlemagne was the king of the Francs, born in 747 he became ruler in 768 at the death of his father. For the young Charlemagne conquest was very important, invading much of Europe. Instilling Christianity wherever he went was vital for the young king. And the heart of his immense empire? The strategically placed Aachen. I have read that the choice of Aachen as the hub of the Carolingian empire was also partly influenced by the presence of hot springs and that Charlemagne loved bathing in these waters. I wonder if he used bubble bath...

Winding cobbled streets and wood panelled cafes help bring the laid back atmosphere of the city to life. Largely undestroyed in the war, Aachen boasts some of the most beautiful medieval housing in the whole of Europe. The edges of the town centre are surprisingly modern, but as you delve deeper into this extraordinary city, the history starts to accost you.

The modern shops quickly open out into an old fashioned square. The focal point? The large Rathaus, which the townspeople founded in the 14th century when they took over the ruined palace of Charlemagne. From here on out the town becomes remarkably old, the little cobbled streets start to take over and the city starts to resemble something you would find in northern France or Britain.

Further into the heart of the town stands the Dom. Regal and gothic looking, there is nothing to suggest that this cathedral is anything but ordinary, au contraire mes enfants, this cathedral was one of the first 12 entrants to the UNESCO World Heritage list. I can only describe it by my own reaction. The only word to escape my lips was 'wow'. Said only once this word optimised everything I wanted to say. I was nearly moved to tears when I sat there looking up at the gold tomb of Charlemagne. My whole body was covered in goose bumps. This is not a reaction I usually get when wandering through places. It was, however, unusually emotional and powerful.

I have never been to the Sistine chapel, but I imagine it would give the same effect. Just awe-inspiring. The bonus of Aachen would have to be the relatively small number of tourists. The quietness really helps to soak in the whole atmosphere.

Aachen is a small city, the shops aren't any different from anything you would find in another city, and the sights are limited to just a few: the Dom, the Rathaus, and the Schatzkammer (which hosts some interesting items). You only need a morning to take it in, so there is no excuse. It's a chilled out place with a large student population, it's perfect to just grab a coffee and sit in the square marvelling at the history and the people that made this place possible.

The next time you're in the area (Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg or the Netherlands) look up Aachen. Or just look up Charlemagne, he was a pretty interesting bloke. It's worth the time.

I don't own a camera at the moment, so I've done my best to trawl the internet for the photos that best represent the shear stunning beauty of this place (the next picture to the right is also of the cathedral)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregraisman/3560313124/

"Un homme sans souvenirs est un homme perdu"
Armand Salacrou

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/charlemagne.shtml
http://www.aachen.de/de/kultur_freizeit/kultur/dom_rathaus/rathaus/index.html
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/3

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