The Cradle of Europe

 

City Hall

Let's go back to our time in Germany back in the fall. My last post about our trip was our visit to Burg Vischering in Münsterland. Today I'm taking you to Aachen in the very West of Germany on the border to both the Netherlands and Belgium. This area is also known as a Dreiländereck (three countries corner) - we have a few of those in Germany.

The once Celtic settlement is sometimes called "cradle of Europe" because in the 9th century, Aachen was constituted as the main royal residence of the Frankish Empire ruled by Karl der Große or Charlemagne, as he is widely known. It served as the coronation site where 31 Holy Roman Emperors were crowned Kings of the Germans from 936 to 1531. Charlemagne (748-814) united most of Western and Central Europe; his reign was marked by political and social changes and had lasting influence on Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Because of his long lasting influence he is often called "Father of Europe" by many historians and is seen as a founding figure by multiple European states.

Aachen certainly didn't get stuck in the Middle Ages but has become a modern and lively city. The Rheinisch-Westfälisch Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH Aachen University) is one of Germany's leading institutes of higher education in technology. The Geek studied and received his Diplom here (Master equivalent). The Uniklinikum Aachen (university hospital) is one of the largest medical facilities in Europe, housed in a single-building hospital (very interesting hi-tech architecture).

These are the Geek's old stomping grounds. He not only studied at RWTH, but he grew up in a small town not too far away from Aachen. We visited on a sunny day in the second half of October, and people were out and about, taking advantage of a mild autumn day.

Within the old center of Aachen, you can find some beautiful bronze sculptures.

Frauen mit Schirm (left) and Puppenbrunnen (right)

Printenmädchen

We had three reasons to go to Aachen - the first one was Aachener Printen (this is what the girl in the image above holds in her hands).

So what are Aachener Printen? They are a type of Lebkuchen (which is similar to gingerbread) with certain spices including coriander, cinnamon, anise, clove etc. and sweetened with syrup. The exact mixture of the spice ingredients is a carefully kept secret of the individual Printen bakeries. To put Aachener Printen in the name, all manufacturers must be located in or near Aachen. The most typical form of Aachener Printen is the Platte (seen in the photo above), but the dough can also be pressed into distinctive molds. And of course there are also all other kinds of forms like cookies, small pieces etc.

Here you can see a variety of those other forms of Printen.

And just like their "cousins", the Nürnberger Lebkuchen, they come in beautiful tins if you want to spend a bit more money.

Lambertz is probably the most famous manufacturer of Printen, and Nobis with its store right across from the Dom is well known as well, but we prefer our Printen from Klein.

The third Platte that we bought has already disappeared...

Our second reason (especially mine) was this:

The Aachener Dom, one of the oldest cathedral buildings in Europe.

I am a big fan of those old cathedrals like you find in England and France, but for me, the Aachener Dom tops them all.

It is cramped smack in the center of the city which makes it practically impossible to get a photo of its entire size. But the real magic is revealed inside those ancient walls.

Instead of a large nave you find yourself in a high, two storied octagon that simply takes your breath away. This Carolingian-Romanesque Palatine Chapel is the core of the cathedral. The choir was constructed in the Gothic style; hence the Aachener Dom uses two distinct architectural styles.

Have a closer look at the octagon:

and looking up:

The Dom was constructed as the royal chapel of the Palace of Aachen of Charlemagne, who was buried here in 814. He began the construction of the Palatine Chapel around 796. It is not quite clear when it was completed, but in 805, Pope Leo III consecrated the finished chapel. The Gothic choir hall was added in 1355. During World War II, Aachen experienced heavy bombings and much of the city, including the Dom, was damaged, but the basic structure of the Dom survived.

The interesting marble floor:

In 1978, the Aachener Dom was one of the first twelve sites - and the first German site - to be listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Its exceptional artistry and architecture was mentioned as well as its central importance in the history of the Holy Roman Empire.

The beautiful ceilings and mosaics.

And finally, the Gothic choir with its beautiful windows.

Outside the Dom we saw this sculpture of St. Stephanus.

Charlemagne and his influence on Europe is still alive in an international prize that the city of Aachen awards every year to an individual or institution for work done in the service of European unification - the Karlspreis. Some of the recipients are Winston Churchill (1956), the European Commission (1969), Henry Kissinger (1987), Václav Havel (1991), Bill Clinton (2000) and Angela Merkel (2008). 

And finally, the third reason for our visit was the building in the back of this photo:

It houses the Van den Daele Café, with a historic interior that is highly atmospheric. The Café consists of several smaller rooms on two floors and you can almost get the feeling of being lost when you go there for the first time. It is old fashioned with table service (heaven!) and real tableware. We came for the hot chocolate. In the left picture you can see how it is served - hot milk in a glass and different kinds of chocolate chips and whipped cream on the side. You put the chips in the hot milk so that they can melt, then you add the cream - delicious. The cookie on the side is Spekulatius.

And of course you guess right if you think this is for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Tuesday.

One last thing that I noticed when I left the Dom. The Letzte Spur (final trail) monument which is part of a project called Namen und Steine (names and stones) by the AIDS Foundation in Aachen. As you can see in the picture below, it consists of a path hewn in stone dedicated to the victims of AIDS. It is laid in the passage of the Domhof square and covers half city, half church ground. It serves as a reminder that HIV can affect everyone.