The following is a timeline of the

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

of the city of

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

, Germany.

Prior to 14th century

* 451 – Town "pillaged by the Huns." * 786 – Palace of Charlemagne construction begins. * 796 – Palatine Chapel construction begins (approximate date). * 799 – (

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

) formed. * 813 – 13 September: Coronation of

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

King of the Franks The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dux, dukes and monarch, reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Franks, Salian Mero ...

. * 814 – 28 January: Death of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

. * 816 – Catholic

Council of Aachen A number of significant councils of the Latin Church were held at Aachen (also known in French as ''Aix-la-Chapelle'') in the early Middle Ages. In the mixed council of 798, Charlemagne proclaimed a capitulary of eighty-one chapters, largely a repe ...

establishes the Rule of Aix. * 936 – 7 August: Coronation of

King of Germany This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in ...

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

Aachen Cathedral Aachen Cathedral () is a Catholic Church, Catholic church in Aachen, Germany and the cathedral of the Diocese of Aachen. One of the oldest cathedral buildings in Europe, it was constructed as the royal chapel of the Palace of Aachen of Holy Rom ...

. * 961 – Coronation of

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...

. * 983 ** Coronation of

Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was the Holy Roman emperor and King of Italy from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was c ...

as King of Germany. ** Chapel rebuilt. * 1028 – Coronation of Henry III as King of Germany. * 1054 – Coronation of Henry IV * 1087 – Coronation of

Conrad II Conrad II (, – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdom ...

. * 1099 – Coronation of

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

as King of Germany. * 1125 – Coronation of

Lothair II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was a Carolingian king and ruler of northern parts of Middle Francia, that came to be known as Lotharingia, reigning there from 855 until his death in 869. He also ruled over Burgundy, holding from 855 just th ...

as King of the Romans. * 1138 – Coronation of

Conrad III Conrad III (; ; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III, and from 1138 until his death in 1152 King of the Romans in the ...

as King of the Romans. * 1147 – Coronation of

Henry Berengar Henry Berengar: ''Heinrich-Berengar''. (1136/7–1150), sometimes numbered Henry (VI), was the eldest son of Conrad III of Germany and his second wife, Gertrude of Sulzbach. He was named after his father's maternal grandfather, Emperor Henry IV, an ...

as King of Germany. * 1152 – Coronation of

Frederick I Frederick I or Friedrich I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I ...

as King of the Romans. * 1169 – Coronation of Henry VI as King of the Romans. * 1198 – Coronation of

Otto IV Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart, who made him Count of Poitou in 1196 ...

. * 1205 – Coronation of

Philip of Swabia Philip of Swabia (February/March 1177 – 21 June 1208), styled Philip II in his charters, was a member of the House of Hohenstaufen and King of Germany from 1198 until his assassination. The death of Philip's older brother Henry VI, Holy Roman E ...

. * 1215 ** Coronation of Frederick II. **

Karlsschrein The Karlsschrein () is located in Aachen Cathedral and contains the remains of Charlemagne. It was completed in 1215 in Aachen at the command of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagne's remains had been in the Palatine Chapel of the c ...

(shrine of Charlemagne) built in cathedral. * 1222 – Coronation of

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

as German King. * 1248 – Siege of Aachen; followed by coronation of

William II of Holland William II (February 1227 – 28 January 1256) was the Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1234 until his death. He was elected anti-king of Germany in 1248 and ruled as sole king from 1254 onwards. Early life William was the eldest son and heir ...

. * 1257 – Coronation of

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

as King of the Romans. * 1273 – Coronation of Rudolph I. * 1292 – Coronation of

Adolf, King of Germany Adolf (c. 1255 – 2 July 1298) was the count of Nassau from about 1276 and the elected king of Germany from 1292 until his deposition by the prince-electors in 1298. He was never crowned by the pope, which would have secured him the Holy Roman ...

. * 1298 – Coronation of

Albert I Albert I may refer to: People Born before 1300 * Albert I, Count of Vermandois (917–987) * Albert I, Count of Namur () * Albert I of Moha *Albert I of Brandenburg (), first margrave of Brandenburg * Albert I, Margrave of Meissen (1158–1195) *Al ...

. *late 13th century – Ponttor (city gate) built, first mentioned in 1320. * 1300 – (gate) built (approximate date).

14th–18th centuries

* 1306 – Aachen becomes a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire. * 1309 – Coronation of Henry VII as King of the Romans. * 1314 – Coronation of Louis IV as King of the Romans. * 1349 – Coronation of Charles IV as King of the Romans. * 1353 –

Aachen Town Hall Aachen Town Hall () is a landmark of cultural significance located in the ''Altstadt'' of Aachen, Germany. It was built in the Gothic style in the first half of the 14th century. History Aachen Town Hall was built in the first half of the 14t ...

built. * 1376 – Coronation of

Wenceslaus IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400. As he ...

as King of Germany. * 1414 – Coronation of

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

as King of the Romans. * 1442 – Coronation of Frederick III as King of the Romans. * 1486 – Coronation of Maximilian I as King of the Romans. * 1520 – Coronation of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

as King of Germany. * 1531 – Coronation of Ferdinand I as

. * 1580 –

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

(approximate date). * 1601 – Population: 14,171. The Siege of Aachen

* 1614 – August: Siege of Aachen. * 1656 – Fire. * 1668 – May: Town hosts signing of the

Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668) __NOTOC__ The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle or Aachen ended the War of Devolution between France and Spain. It was signed on 2 May 1668 in Aachen (). Spain acceded on 7 May 1669. Terms of the treaty The treaty was mediated and guaranteed by the ...

. * 1748 – April: Town hosts international Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle and signing of

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

. * 1787 – active. * 1794 – Town occupied by French forces. * 1795 – Population: 23,413.

19th century

* 1801 ** Town becomes part of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, per

Peace of Lunéville Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such a ...

. **

Roman Catholic Diocese of Aachen The Diocese of Aachen () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church located in Germany and one of the six dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cologne. The incumbent bishop is Helmut Dieser, who was appointed by Pope Francis on 23 September ...

established. * 1815 – Town becomes part of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

, per

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

. * 1817 ** (bookseller) in business. ** Population: 32,300. * 1818 – October: Town hosts international Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle. * 1825 **

Theater Aachen Theater Aachen is a theatre in Aachen, Germany. It is the principal venue in that city for operas, musical theatre and plays. It is the home of the Sinfonieorchester Aachen. The original project was by Johann Peter Cremer, later altered by Ka ...

opens. **

Lower Rhenish Music Festival The Lower Rhenish Music Festival (German: Das Niederrheinische Musikfest) was one of the most important festivals of classical music, which happened every year between 1818 and 1958, with few exceptions, at Pentecost for 112 times. History In t ...

held. * 1834 –

held; performers include

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

. * 1840 – Population: 44,289. * 1841 – Cologne-Aachen

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

begins operating. * 1846 –

held, directed by

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

; performers include

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria Lind (Madame Goldschmidt) (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in ...

. * 1849 –

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

news agency in business. * 1853 –

Aachen–Mönchengladbach railway The Aachen–Mönchengladbach railway is a main line in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an important link between the Ruhr and Belgium for freight trains and is served by regional passenger trains. The line was built by the Aac ...

begins operating. * 1857 –

held, directed by

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

. * 1859 – Church of Our Lady built. * 1867 – Population: 67,923. * 1870 – Polytechnikum (school) opens. * 1880 –

Tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

begins operating. * 1885 ** (history association) founded. ** Population: 95,321. * 1888 – Church of St. James built. * 1890 – Population: 103,470. * 1895 – Electric

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

begins operating. * 1897 –

Burtscheid Burtscheid () is a district of the city of Aachen, part of the Aachen-Mitte Stadtbezirk. It is a health resort. History It was inhabited since ancient times by Celts and Romans, who were attracted by the presence of hot springs. Burtscheid ...

becomes part of Aachen. * 1900 –

Alemannia Aachen Aachener Turn- und Sportverein Alemannia 1900 e. V., short Alemannia Aachen (), is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long-term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three- ...

football club formed.

20th century

* 1905 –

Aachen Hauptbahnhof Aachen Hauptbahnhof (German for Aachen main station) is the most important railway station for the city of Aachen, in the far west of Germany near the Dutch and Belgian border. It is the largest of the four currently active Aachen stations, and ...

(railway station) opens. * 1908 – Jünglingverein Sankt Jakob Aachen (sport club) formed. * 1919 – Population: 145,748. * 1923 – October:

Rhenish Republic The Rhenish Republic () was proclaimed at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) in October 1923 during the occupation of the Ruhr by troops from France and Belgium (January 19231925) and subjected itself to French protectorate. It comprised three territorie ...

established. * 1924 –

ends. * 1928 – Tivoli stadium opens. * 1942 –

Forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

camp established in the

district. * 1944 ** April: Forced labour camp moved from Burtscheid to the Steinebrück district. ** May: Forced labour camp in Steinebrück dissolved. ** October:

Battle of Aachen The Battle of Aachen was a battle of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 12 September and 21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network ...

. Americans capture city. * 1949 – Aachen I parliamentary district created. * 1950 – Zimmertheater Aachen founded. * 1951 –

rebuilt. * 1954 – Elysee Theatre re-opens. * 1956 – Belvedere Water Tower built. * 1959 – Scotch-Club opens. * 1960 – (zoo) established. * 1961 – Museum established in Frankenberg Castle. * 1965 – founded. * 1968 – built. * 1970 – July: Aachen Open Air Pop Festival held. * 1971 ** Aachen University of Applied Sciences established. ** Population: 176,626. * 1972 **

Brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

becomes part of Aachen. **

Kurt Malangré Kurt Malangré (18 September 1934 – 4 October 2018) was a German politician and lawyer from Aachen. A member of the CDU, he served as Lord Mayor of Aachen from 1973 to 1989 and as a Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1999. Malangr� ...

becomes mayor. ** Population: 238,570. * 1980 – Rugby Club Aachen formed. * 1985 –

Klinikum Aachen none, University hospital Aachen The Uniklinikum Aachen, full German name ''Universitätsklinikum Aachen'' ("University Hospital Aachen", abbreviated ''UKA''), formerly known as ''Neues Klinikum'' ("New Clinic"), is the university hospital ...

opens. * 1986 ** First independent Theatre (Theater 99) opens ** (art nonprofit) founded. * 1989 –

Jürgen Linden Jürgen Linden (born January 13, 1947) is a German politician (Social Democratic Party of Germany) and was Lord Mayor of Aachen from 1989 to 2009. Life Linden is the speaker of the board of directors of the Charlemagne Prize of the city of Aach ...

becomes mayor. * 2000 – Karlsgarten (garden) opens.

21st century

* 2003 –

Cologne–Aachen high-speed railway The Cologne–Aachen high-speed line is the Germany, German part of the Trans-European transport networks project ''high-speed line Paris–Brussels–Cologne''. It is not a newly built railway line, but a project to upgrade the existing railway l ...

in operation. * 2006 – Host of

World Equestrian Games The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and are administered by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive S ...

. * 2009 ** New Tivoli stadium opens. ** becomes mayor. ** City becomes part of

Städteregion Aachen The district of Aachen () is a district in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Heinsberg (district), Heinsberg, Düren (district), Düren, Euskirchen (district), Euskirchen, and also the Netherlands province of L ...

. * 2012 – Population: 240,086. * 2015 – City hosts the

2015 European Dressage Championships The 2015 European Dressage Championships was held between August 12 and August 16, 2015 in Aachen, Germany. It formed part of the 2015 FEI European Championships; other disciplines included were jumping, reining and vaulting. It also served as ...

. * 2019 – Treaty on Franco-German Cooperation and Integration signed by French president

Macron Macron may refer to: People * Emmanuel Macron (born 1977), president of France since 2017 * Brigitte Macron (born 1953), French teacher, wife of Emmanuel Macron * Jean-Michel Macron (born 1950), French professor of neurology, father of Emmanuel ...

and German Federal Chancellor Merkel. * 2020 –

Sibylle Keupen Sibylle Keupen (born 14 March 1963 in Mayen) is a German politician (non-party, close to the Green Party) and a qualified pedagogue. She has been the Lord Mayor of Aachen since November 1, 2020. Education and personal life During 1982-83 she st ...

becomes first female mayor.

References

Bibliography

in English

;published in the 18th-19th centuries * * * * * * * * * * * ;published in the 20th century * * *

in German

* * . Circa 1647/1660 * Christian Quix. ''Beiträge zur Geschichte der Stadt Aachen und ihrer Umgebungen.'' Mit 14 Urkunden, Dritter Band, Jacob Anton Mayer, 1838. * (bibliography) * * Hugo Loersch. ''Aachener Rechtsdenkmäler aus dem 13., 14. und 15. Jahrhundert.'' Bonn 1871. * Friedrich Haagen. ''Geschichte Achens von seinen Anfängen bis zur neuesten Zeit.'' Band 2: Vom Jahre 1400–1865. Aachen 1874. * * * * Max Wohlhage: ''Aachen im Dreissigjährigen Kriege'' Aachen 1911. * * *

External links

* Europeana
Items related to Aachen
various dates {{Germany year nav