*독일의 아헨 이야기

라인강에서 벨기에쪽으로 들어와 있는 이 도시는 8세기 유럽을 통일한 프랑크 왕국의 샬레마뉴 大帝의 무덤이 있는 당시 수도였다. 서기 794년 샬레마뉴 대제는 이곳의 온천을 좋아하여 수도로 정했다. 로마시대 때부터 내려오던 온천이었는데 치료 효과가 좋다고 소문이 났다. 인구 약26만 명의 이 도시는 유네스코 지정 세계문화유산을 하나 갖고 있다.

바로 샬레마뉴 대제의 유골이 봉안된 성당이다. 이 성당에서 신성로마제국 황제 32명(10-16세기)이 대관식을 올렸다. 이 성당은 로마시대의 아치형 건물을 토대로 만들어졌다. 이 아치형 건물은 알프스 북쪽에서는 가장 컸었다고 한다. 아헨 공대는 독일에서 가장 큰데 한국 유학생들이 많다. 아헨 성당 부속 박물관에는 종교 유물이 많은데 알프스 북쪽에선 최대규모라고 한다.

샬레마뉴 대제는 나폴레옹, 히틀러와 함께 유럽을 통일한 사람인데 최근의 유럽통합은 그가 보인 선례를 따른 것이란 해석도 있다. 살레마뉴의 다른 업적은 스페인까지 진출했던 이슬람 세력을 피레네 산맥에서 막아 프랑스 以東 지방을 지킨 점이다. 이 아헨 도심부에는 로마시대 때부터 유명한 온천이 있다.

In every respect, Aachen is a town which distinguishes itself by a wide variety: historical interrelationship, historical sights, cultural attractions, big events such as the international dressage, jumping and riding tournament CHIO and the presentation of the international Karlspreis (Charlemagne Award) in Aachen, as well as museums of many kinds and, last but not least, the town's many economic and scientific functions.

History
The most important historical epoch of Aachen started with the takeover of the government by Charlemagne in 768 AD. The imperial palace by the hot water sources soon became Charlemagne's permanent residence and so developed into a spiritual and cultural reservoir. As the economic development of Aachen proceeded, the town became more and more prosperous, and this has persisted to the present day. Charlemagne was buried in the [Cathedral of Aachen] in 824. Two hundred years later he was canonized, which resulted in a flow of pilgrims wishing to visit and see Charlemagne's tomb and the relics he gathered during his life. The relics are exhibited to the public every seven years (the next time in the year 2000). In the meantime they are stored in the Charlemagne Shrine, wrapped in silk cloths. The town's ties with Charlemagne are reflected in numerous architectural heirlooms and memorials in the townscape. To be mentioned here in particular are the Cathedral and the City Hall, the oldest part of which, the Granus Tower, is said to date from the days of Charlemagne.

Culture
Of special appeal are Aachen's Museums and treasuries. A special jewel in this respect is the treasury of the Cathedral of Aachen, which is considered to be the principal ecclesiastical treasury north of the Alps.

Persons who are interested in paintings and sculptures from the late Middle Age or in 17th century painters, should visit the Suermond-Ludwig Museum. The Ludwig Forum of International Art is an exhibition of various forms of contemporary art. Plastic arts are presented here alongside with music, dance, theatre, film etc. Museums that cater special interests are the Newspaper Museum, the Urban History Museum of Burg Frankenberg, the Customs History Collection, and the Computer Museum.

Aachen's cultural programme covers a wide range and is increasingly appreciated by young and old, among the local population as well as abroad. The scale of performers ranges from regional cabaret entertainers to international stars. A real 'cultural marathon' is the Annual Cultural Summer, from June to September. This happening culminates in a series of open-air concerts of various musical schools, presented on Katschhof Square, one of Europe's finest plazas.

Pictures, Maps and More
View on the Cathedral of Aachen
In front of the Elisenbrunnen (hot water spring)
Map of the Inner City of Aachen (gzipped postscript)
The unofficial [Aachen Weather Watch] (last entry 12-May-1997)
More pictures in [Aachen by Jay Pägg]
UTEXAS's map of [Germany]

The official Aachen page is [WWW.Aachen.DE]. It's mostly in German language. A good site for browsing through a detailed city map ('Stadtplan') is [WWW.Aachen-aktuell.DE]. You can enter a street name and the corresponding portion of the city map is exposed. A nice historical essay on Aachen is available from [New Advent] who work on a translation of the Catholic Encyclopaedia (published 1913).

Also have a look at [KawoNet], a network of student houses in Aachen. Further touristic information on Aachen (mostly in German) is provided by [RWTH Aachen]. Business contacts can be made via the [Chamber of Commerce and Industry]. Aachen is one of Germany's high tech regions with the largest technical university in Western Europe and many research-oriented companies.

This experimental Aachen page is online since summer 1994. It is quite frequently referred to but it's not the oldest Aachen page on the Web. The one by [RWTH Physik] is even older and has a nice map showing the location of Aachen in Europe. Since 1998 (sigh, finally!), there is an official Web page in English for tourist information. Please access it via [WWW.Aachen-Tourist.DE].

Contact
Verkehrsverein Bad Aachen, Tourist Information
Monheimsallee 52, D-52022 Aachen - Germany
Email: info@aachen-tourist.de, Tel: 241-1802950, Fax: 241-1802930


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Copyright © 1994-96 Verkehrsverein Bad Aachen.


Editing: Manfred Jeusfeld, last modification: 7-May-2002