Aachen was Charlemagne's favourite residence, and for more than 600 years German kings came here to be crowned. Today it is a lively university city on the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands, with hot springs under its streets and a cathedral that was the first German site on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Here are the facts and stories that make the city special.
10 curiosidades sobre Aachen
- Germany's first World Heritage Site: in 1978 Aachen Cathedral became the first German cultural site on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
- Charlemagne's own church: the core of the cathedral, the eight-sided Octagon, was built from around 798 as the chapel of Charlemagne's palace. The emperor was buried here in 814.
- Uma igreja de coroações durante seis séculos: de Otão I, em 936, a Fernando I, em 1531, cerca de 30 reis alemães foram coroados em Aachen.
- Um simples trono de pedra: na galeria superior do Octógono há um simples trono de mármore, tradicionalmente associado a Carlos Magno. Os reis recém-coroados sentavam-se nele, e só se pode ver numa visita guiada.
- As fontes mais quentes da Europa Central: as fontes termais de Aachen e Burtscheid ultrapassam em alguns pontos os 70 °C. Os romanos construíram aqui termas, e o próprio Carlos Magno adorava nadar na água quente.
- Uma fonte que cheira a ovo: no Elisenbrunnen, uma colunata clássica da década de 1820, podes provar a água termal. O cheiro a enxofre denuncia que vem das profundezas.
- A town hall on an emperor's palace: the Gothic town hall was built in the 14th century on the foundations of Charlemagne's great hall. Since 1950 it has hosted the ceremony for the Charlemagne Prize, awarded for work on European unity.
- Uma bolacha protegida: os Aachener Printen, um pão de especiarias duro, são uma indicação geográfica protegida, por isso só os padeiros de Aachen e arredores podem usar o nome.
- Três países, um ponto: mesmo à saída da cidade, a Alemanha, a Bélgica e os Países Baixos encontram-se no ponto das três fronteiras do Vaalserberg, que é também o ponto mais alto dos Países Baixos continentais.
- A pilgrimage every seven years: since 1349 the cathedral's four great cloth relics have been shown to pilgrims every seven years, in the Aachen Pilgrimage. The last was in 2023.
A lenda do diabo e do lobo
When the people of Aachen were building their church, the story goes, they ran out of money. The devil offered to pay for the rest, on one condition: he would take the first soul to enter the finished building. The townspeople agreed, but on the day of the consecration they chased a wolf through the door first. The devil, cheated out of a human soul, grabbed the wolf's soul and stormed off in such a rage that he slammed the bronze door and tore off his thumb. Visitors still put a finger into the lion's head on the door to feel for the devil's thumb, and a bronze wolf stands in the entrance hall, beside a bronze pine cone that once decorated a fountain.
O Octógono, explicado
Charlemagne wanted a church to match the great buildings of Rome and Ravenna, and had antique columns brought over the Alps for it. The result was the Octagon, for centuries one of the largest domed buildings north of the Alps. Inside, the huge round chandelier was a gift from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in the 12th century, and the Gothic choir, with its tall walls of glass, was added in the 14th and 15th centuries. The golden Shrine of Charlemagne, which holds the emperor's remains, was completed in 1215.
O que comer em Aachen
- Aachener Printen: pão de especiarias estaladiço ou macio, simples ou coberto de chocolate, vendido todo o ano nas padarias à volta da catedral.
- Öcher Puttes: Aachen's soft blood sausage, protected by the EU since 2016, often fried and served with potatoes and apple.
- Reisfladen: uma tarte recheada com arroz-doce cremoso, uma especialidade partilhada com o leste da Bélgica.
- Sauerbraten de Aachen: a versão local da carne marinada tem um molho engrossado com Printen esfarelados.
Antes de ires
- O tesouro da catedral, um dos mais importantes tesouros eclesiásticos da Europa, fica num edifício separado ao lado da catedral e tem bilhete próprio.
- To see the throne and the upper gallery of the Octagon, join one of the cathedral's guided tours.
- The Carolus Thermen spa lets you bathe in the city's thermal water, a good end to a day of sightseeing.
- A partir do final de novembro, o mercado de Natal enche as praças à volta da catedral e da câmara municipal.
Descobre Aachen com a World City Trail
A nossa caça ao tesouro em Aachen transforma estes locais num jogo no teu telemóvel. O percurso liga 10 paragens e demora cerca de duas horas, com cerca de 24 minutos a pé, incluindo a catedral de Aachen e a câmara municipal.
Em cada paragem resolves um enigma e ouves uma pequena história, ao teu ritmo. Podes começar quando quiseres.
Jogar a caça ao tesouro de Aachen →
Factos verificados em outubro de 2026.