AACHEN
Sightseeing
History I
Aachen Cathedral (Dom) I
Sightseeing I
Practical I Hotels in Aachen
You cannot visit Aachen without visiting
the
"Elisenbrunnen"
(Elisa fountain). It was formerly a thermal pump room and colonnade,
built in neo-classical style by the Prussian architect Schinkel in 1822.
One can really smell the Aachen hermal water here. It flows into two
marble basins at the back of the rotunda. The water smells a little bit
of bad eggs due to its high sulphur content. One can try it too. It's
very good for the digestion. The Elisenbrunnen was named after crown
princess Elisabeth, the wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. It was she
who made taking the waters fashionable and influenced the aristocracy
and the famous to come to Aachen. Nowadays, almost all of Aachen's spa
facilities are situated in Burtscheid - a suburb of Aachen. It's a place
to convalesce from all rheumatic illnesses and many other disorders.
During a
roundtrip of Aachen you will notice the
many statues and fountains
of the city : the "Kreislauf des
Geldes" (Circulation of
Money fountain), the "Puppenbrunnen"
(puppet's fountain) at Krämerstrasse. Also, very remarkably, Aachen has
a lot of triangular squares (Note: these squares have a triangular form
due to the different groupings of the Roman and Frankish buildings).
Examples are : the "Hof"
square and the Poultry Market
square.
On the
Poultry Market is the Couven
Museum : this house was
built in 1786 by the Aachen architect Jacob Couven for the pharmacy
Andreas Monheim. The style of the house is very typical for the
so-called "Couven Style". In the 18th century Couven influenced the
building and furnishing style in the Aachen region. The museum shows
examples of 18th century interior decoration.
Nearby
is the "Granusturm"
(Tower of Granus), built in 788 ! This tower is the oldest remaining
building in the city. It was part of Charlemagne's palace complex and
was used as a watch tower and
living
quarter. Inside there are three rooms
The
"Marktplatz"
(market square) is the highest point of medieval Aachen. Also this
square is triangular. Here, around 800 Charlemagne built his "Aula
Regia", a large royal hall in stone. This hall fell into ruins and in
the 14th century, the citizens of Aachen built a
Gothic Town Hall
on the foundations of the dilapidated Carolingian palace. They copied
the Draper's halls of Flanders. It had to be a building with two floors,
because they had committed themselves to construct a King's hall where
banquets could be held after the coronations. The medieval façade is
richly ornamented with statues of German souvereigns and various guilds.
"Marktplatz"
(market square) is the highest point of medieval Aachen. Also this
square is triangular. Here, around 800 Charlemagne built his "Aula
Regia", a large royal hall in stone. This hall fell into ruins and in
the 14th century, the citizens of Aachen built a
Gothic Town Hall
on the foundations of the dilapidated Carolingian palace. They copied
the Draper's halls of Flanders. It had to be a building with two floors,
because they had committed themselves to construct a King's hall where
banquets could be held after the coronations. The medieval façade is
richly ornamented with statues of German souvereigns and various guilds.
One of
the most impressive and valuable fountains in Aachen is the
fountain
of Charlemagne. It
carries the statue of the emperor with his crown, orb and sceptre and
stands in the middle of the market place. it was cast in the city of
Dinant in Belgium in 1620. The bronze bowl of the fountain was made in
Aachen at the same time. Charlemagne is wearing a knight's armour. What
you see, however, is only a replica of the original statue which is now
preserved in the Coronation hall of the Town Hall.
fountain
of Charlemagne. It
carries the statue of the emperor with his crown, orb and sceptre and
stands in the middle of the market place. it was cast in the city of
Dinant in Belgium in 1620. The bronze bowl of the fountain was made in
Aachen at the same time. Charlemagne is wearing a knight's armour. What
you see, however, is only a replica of the original statue which is now
preserved in the Coronation hall of the Town Hall.
