For almost two decades, Aachen was the centre of the Carolingian Empire. Charlemagne had the royal palace (Pfalz) in Aachen converted into a magnificent seat of power and built St Mary’s Church, the core building of today’s cathedral. With his coronation as Emperor in Rome at Christmas 800, he renewed the Western Roman Empire. Charlemagne’s European significance as emperor of the Frankish Empire becomes tangible here.
The Centre Charlemagne presents the history of Aachen and Charlemagne in a museum exhibition. It shows Carolingian Aachen, the medieval city of coronations, Napoleonic Aix-la-Chapelle and the “European City” of the present day, as well as temporary exhibitions.
Aachen Cathedral is one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe and was built by order of Emperor Charlemagne, who was buried here in 814. Thirty-one German kings and twelve queens were crowned in the Palatine Chapel from the 10th to the 16th century. It was one of the first buildings to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of its exceptional artistry, architecture and central importance for the history of the Holy Roman Empire. The Aachen Cathedral Treasury holds a unique collection of treasures from the history of Aachen Cathedral , including sacred cultural treasures from late antiquity, Carolingian, Ottonian, Staufer and Gothic times.
One of the most important medieval sculpture collections in Germany for the period 12th to 16th century. Read here more.