1. BURT W OLF
TRAVELS & TRADITIONS
AACHEN, GERMANY
The city of Aachen lies in the westernmost Charlemagne’s throne is a simple throne made
part of Germany and borders with Belgium of great slabs of white marble. But not just any
and the Netherlands. Tribes have been living ordinary marble for this Holy
here since the Stone Age. Celtic families also Roman Emperor. The stones
liked the neighborhood and so did the are said to come from the
Romans. But what really put Aachen on the tomb of Jesus.
map were the kings of the Franks. The Franks Thirteen windows decorate
were a German-speaking people who the Cathedral. Each are 100
invaded Western Europe in the 5th century. feet high. Between the
The word France comes from the Franks. And windows stand fourteen
the superstar of the Frankish kings was a guy statues---the Mother of God,
named Charlemagne who came to power at the Twelve Apostles and of
the end of the 700s. course, Charlemagne. Charlemagne made
On Christmas Day in the year 800, Aachen the capital of what we now call Europe
Charlemagne resurrected the idea of the and for hundreds of years it was the city in
Roman Empire by having himself crowned which the rulers of Germany were crowned.
Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III. Eventually the political importance of the
Charlemagne had created a super-state that palace at Aachen declined, and the power
brought together all the Christian shifted to the Cathedral. Precious relics were
communities of Western Europe, it stretched brought to Aachen by Charlemagne and
from Denmark to Romania. The emperor’s placed in his imperial chapel. After his death
favorite city and the site of his royal hundreds of thousands of pilgrims came to
household was Aachen. Aachen to see them. These great pilgrimages
And the started during the 1300s and were known as
Cathedral that Shrine Pilgrimages. To a considerable extent
he built for his these journeys were the forerunners of today’s
court is still holiday travel. You took a break from your
standing. The normal day-to-day life and headed off to see
church is made something new.
up of three Starting in the middle of the 14th century; it
distinct parts: became church policy to display its greatest
First is the relics only once every seven years. It is a custom
octagon which forms the central part of the which still holds. Every seventh year, for the
structure. It is modeled after the circular past 700 years, Aachen declares a Sabbath Year
church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. It’s has and presents an exhibition of its most sacred
eight sides which is typical of Greek churches. objects, namely, the cloak of the Virgin Mary,
The interior of the dome is covered with a the swaddling-clothes of the Infant Jesus, the
gold mosaic. Over the spot where loin-cloth worn by Jesus on the Cross, and the
Charlemagne was buried is an enormous cloth on which lay the head of St. John the
candelabra---a gift from the Emperor Baptist after his beheading. Between the
Barbarossa. Sabbath Years, these relics are kept in the

2. Burt Wolf—Travels & Traditions
Shrine of Our Lady, Charlemagne’s old Royal Hall.
located in Aachen’s Inside are a set of frescos that tell the story of
Cathedral, which is a Charlemagne’s life. Even during his lifetime,
masterwork created Charlemagne was called the father of Europe,
by the goldsmiths of particularly of France and Germany.
Aachen in 1238. The hall also contains the Crown Jewels, well;
Aachen became the actually they are copies of the Crown Jewels. Just
most impor tan t before Napoleon invaded Aachen in 1794, the
pilgrimage site north of the Alps and a gathering Crown Jewels were sent to the Emperor of
point for pilgrims setting out for Santiago de Austria with a note that said “keep these jewels
Compostela in northern Spain. Just around the safe”. But the Emperor misread the note, he
corner from the Cathedral is a wall which holds a thought it read "keep these jewels in your safe"
scallop shell---the symbol of Santiago. It points to and today they are still there. It’s all about
the place where pilgrims gathered before they penmanship.
set off on the 1,235 mile walk to Spain.
HOT SPRINGS ETERNAL
TOWN HALL The name Aachen refers back to the ancient
The center of Aachen is the town square and it Celtic god of healing and the god’s association
tells the story of Aachen’s history for the past 650 with hot spring waters.
years. Originally, it was part of an important road Roman soldiers were
that connected Rome to the Netherlands and particularly attracted to
was used as a stopping point and a market place. hot springs and often
It’s still a market place where local farmers from bui l t s e tt l em en ts
Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands come to nearby. The salts in the
sell their goods. hot water increased the
In the middle of the buoyancy of their bodies and helped relieve their
market is Aachen’s pain and exhaustion. The troops felt they were
oldest fountain. It was floating back to health.
cast in 1620 and It was Charlemagne’s interest in those hot
presents Charlemagne springs that originally attracted him to the area.
holding the symbols of But he was not the only big name that came to
his office. Aachen for the springs. Casanova came because
The buildings around the square were once he believed the waters would rejuvenate his
the homes of Aachen's richest families. sexual powers. And they must have done
The Lowenstein House is the show-piece of the
square. It’s named after Anna Lowenstein who
built it in 1344. WHERE TO STAY
The building that houses the Goldener Einhorn
Restaurant dates back to the Middle Ages and
was a hotel for pilgrims visiting the shrine at
Aachen.
Across the square is the Postwagen building
which is one of the few remaining structures
made of wood and probably the oldest. Today it EXCELSIOR HOTEL ERNST
contains a restaurant serving the local specialties TRANKGASSE 1-5 / DOMPLATZ
of the area. 50667 COLOGNE, GERMANY
On one side of the square is Aachen’s ancient T: 011 49 (0) 221 2701
Town Hall. It was originally built in the 1300s and WWW.EXCELSIOR-HOTEL-ERNST.DE
its foundation and dimensions are identical with
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Copyright 2006 Acorn Associates, Ltd.

3. Aachen, Germany
something because he came back three times.
But he was always disguised---didn’t want the WHERE TO EAT
word getting out that his sex life was medically
enhanced. Another famous guest was the
Empress Josephine who wanted to have children
with Napoleon. She stopped in to improve her
fertility. Fortunately, Josephine and Casanova
were never here at the same time.
SPA
For centuries
mineral springs CAFÉ VAN DEN DAELE
were thought to BÜCHEL 18 / ECKE KÖRBERGASSE
have magical 52062 AACHEN, GERMANY
powers that could T: 011 49 (0)241 357 24
heal the sick. WWW.VAN-DEN-DAELE.DE
Sometimes the
magic was attributed to the water and MAIER-PEVELING’S
sometimes to powerful spirits who were thought WWW.MAIER-PEVELINGS.COM
to live in the springs. It really didn’t make any
difference to the people who came for relief as
KLEIN PRINTEN BAKERY
long as they got better.
FRANZSTRASSE 91
Natural spring water can be divided into three
52064 AACHEN, GERMANY
types:
T: 011 49 (0)241 47 4350
There are salt waters that are filled with
WWW.PRINTEN.DE
dissolved mineral salts like Epsom salt which is
named after England’s Epsom springs. There are
also a series of salt waters that contain
magnesium sulfate. People drink the waters that
contain magnesium sulfate because of their
purgative effects. It is nature’s DRAINO.
The second category of spring water contains
rust-colored iron oxide which is considered to
have a restorative effect.
The third group is made up of waters that
contain hydrogen sulfide—a gas you will
recognize because it smells like rotten eggs. The THE FOUNTAINS OF AACHEN
waters at the spa in Aachen contain hydrogen-
sulfide. People drink it and bath in it and give it For thousands of years, people believed that any
credit for an assortment of cures. place where water came up from the earth was
During the 1800’s hot springs became a sacred and those spots were often surrounded
preferred hangout for the rich and famous. They by fountains or temples. Not surprising, Aachen
felt that the destructive effects of their high life is covered in fountains.
could be corrected by an extended visit to a hot The most popular fountain in Aachen for big
springs resort. However, the environment at and little children is the Puppet Fountain. The
these resorts offered a level of personal freedom many moveable figures on the Puppet Fountain
that was, to say the least, excessive. Away from are not only fun to play with, but also represent
their families and totally on their own---the the many industries of Aachen: textiles, religion,
guests were getting into hot water. commerce, science, and education.
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Copyright 2006 Acorn Associates, Ltd.

4. Burt Wolf—Travels & Traditions
AACHEN UNIVERSITY Aachen and incorporated the town into the
One of Charlemagne’s objectives was to make French empire of Napoleon. Napoleon had a
Aachen a cultural and educational center. soft spot for the city, since he considered
Accordingly, he brought some of Europe’s himself the cultural descendant of
most talented scholars to the city. His vision is Charlemagne and believed, like Charlemagne,
still in operation at the Rhineland-Westphalia he would unite all of Europe under one ruler.
Technical University. It has transformed the Aachen’s time under French control had a
region into a focal point for researchers number of benefits. The economy improved.
working on automobile technology, laser Currency, weights and measures were
development, and medicine as well as the standardized. The restrictive guild system was
design and manufacturing of microchips. dissolved. Transportation was improved.
But to my mind, the most important French
INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPER MUSEUM influence to remain in Aachen can be found at
Aachen’s intellectual environment is also the restaurant Maier-Peveling’s.
reflected in the city’s International Newspaper About 25 years ago, Christof Lang opened an
Museum which is based elegant French restaurant called La Becasse.
in the house where in But some part of Christof’s heart belonged to a
1850 Israel Reuter typical type of German fast-food called a
established the Reuters “currywurst”. Currywurst was invented in Berlin
News Service. in 1949 and consists of a grilled Bratwurst
It was the first news sausage, sliced into bite-size pieces and
agency and it is still in covered with ketchup that has been laced with
operation. The building curry. It is traditionally served with French fried
contains over 170,000 newspapers with the potatoes and a bread roll and has become so
earliest examples dating back to the 1500’s. popular that during the
In German, a newspaper is called a “Zeitung“ spring of 2006 over 6
which is a word that dates back to the 1300s million dollars were
and refers to a message about a recent event. spent building a
The Einkommende Zeitungen published in National Currywurst
Leipzig Germany in 1650 was the first daily Museum.
paper. The Penny Magazine was the first Currywursts are
illustrated paper. The Amsterdamsche Courant available from small
printed its advertising section at right angles in fast-food joints in virtually every German city.
order to distinguish between advertisements But the fast-food joints were uncomfortable
and editorial content. and when you left you often smelled of
The museum has a copy of the Diario di Roma cooking oil. Christof wanted to make the
which was published during the early 1800s. It world’s finest currywursts and perfect French
is the world’s smallest newspaper. L’autre fries. And Maier-Peveling’s is the result. The
Monde was published in Paris and was printed sausages are made daily from Christof’s own
with gold ink on black paper. It claimed to have recipe. The French fries, which are truly
originated from another world. The Tristan outstanding, are made to order and served
Times is published on a small island in the with different sauces that are made in Christof’s
South Atlantic and because the island had no elegant French restaurant. The only sauce they
currency, the paper sold for four potatoes. don’t make is the tomato ketchup which is
Home delivery was an extra potato or two Heinz---some things just can’t be improved
onions. upon. They offer a selection of beers, soft
drinks, wines, even champagne. And he’s put a
WHAT’S COOKING giant air-conditioner on the roof to keep the
In 1794, a French revolutionary army occupied atmosphere fresh so you won’t smell like
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5. Aachen, Germany
French fries when you leave. WORLD EQUESTRIAN FESTIVAL
And as long as we are talking Every year in June hundreds of thousands of
about “what’s cooking” in visitors come to Aachen for one week to admire
Aachen, allow me to introduce the horses at the World Equestrian Festival. The
you to printen. The word competition includes everything from show
“printen” comes from the jumping to carriage driving.
English word “print.” In Aachen Horses have been in the neighborhood for at
it refers to a sweet, spicy, flat, least 30,000 years and it was Charlemagne’s
and hard cookie that is made in horse pawing the ground that uncovered the hot
a mold and because you could springs that made Aachen Charlemagne’s
make many cookies that were favorite town. Charlemagne himself was
the same, bakers thought of it as being like passionate about breeding horses.
printing. They were developed by an Aachen At the end of the festival everyone celebrates
baker about 300 years ago and became the with music, dancing and a promise to return next
favorite of the pilgrims. They have an interesting year.
taste, they’re nourishing, easy to carry around
and they don’t get stale for months. These days,
the bakers of Aachen produce over 4,500 tons of TO LEARN MORE. . .
Printen a year.
GERMAN NATIONAL TOURIST BOARD
The Café van den Daele was founded by a
WWW.D-Z-T.COM
Belgian pastry chef. It consists of four historic
buildings. The oldest dates to 1655. Because each AACHEN TOURIST SERVICE
building was built at a different time and WWW.AACHEN-TOURIST.DE
designed to meet the needs of a different family
the inside rooms are connected by staircases and AACHEN CATHEDRAL
steps that lead in and out of seven different WWW.AACHENDOM.DE
rooms. Picturesque for the patrons, not that
much fun for the waiters. The original baker was a CAROLUS THERMEN SPA
collector of furniture, pictures and baking tins KUR-UND BADEGESELLSCHAFT MGH
which are still on display. KURVERWALTUNG BAD AACHEN, GERMANY
The restaurant menu has a number of classic T: 011 49 (0)241 182 74 121
WWW.CAROLUS-THERMEN.DE
German dishes. But they’ve each been given a
slight twist that makes them quite interesting. INTERNATIONALES ZEITUNGSMUSEUM DER
Sauerbraten, is beef STADTR AACHEN—INTERNATIONAL
that's been marinated NEWSPAPER MUSEUM
in vinegar and wine for PONTSTRASSE 13
a couple of days, and 52062 AACHEN, GERMANY
then roasted. Then the T: 011 49 (0)241 432 4508
marinade is used to WWW.IZM.DE
make a sauce. But
when they’re making the sauce here they add RWTH AACHEN UNIVERSITY
printen cookies which gives it a gingerbread WWW.RWTH-AACHEN.DE
sweetness.
The rolled beef dish is filled with sautéed onions, SABINE MATHIEU – AACHEN TOUR GUIDE
bacon, and pesto sauce and served with FOR GUIDED TOURS OF AACHEN, CONTACT THE
sauerkraut and roasted potatoes. Very nice. AACHEN TOURIST SERVICE AT EMAIL:
Van Den Daele is considered to be one of the INFO@AACHEN-TOURIST.DE
finest cafes in Germany and is particularly famous T: 011 49 (0) 241 1 80 2960
for its baked goods.
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Copyright 2006 Acorn Associates, Ltd.