Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [510]
Views are at least as nice (and free) from the medieval Burg Drachenfels at the top of the mountain, which has remained a ruin since the Thirty Years War (1618–48).
The Drachenfels rises above the town of Königswinter, which is served by the U66 from Bonn Hauptbahnhof. A more atmospheric approach is by one of the boats that leave from the Brassertufer in Bonn between April and October. Bonner Personen Schiffahrt ( 0228-636 363; one-way/return €7.50/10) and KD ( 0221-208 8318; www.k-d.com; one-way/return €7.60/9.70) are the main operators.
Right in Königswinter itself is SeaLife ( 02223-297 297, tickets 01805-6669 0101; Rheinallee 8; adult/child €14/9.50; 10am-6pm), a small and edutaining walk-through aquarium with a legend and fairy-tale theme. Kids love it.
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AACHEN
0241 / pop 246,000
The Romans nursed their war wounds and stiff joints in the steaming waters of Aachen’s mineral springs, but it was Charlemagne who put the city firmly on the European map. The emperor too enjoyed a dip now and then, but it was more for strategic reasons why, in 794, he made Aachen the geographical and political capital of his vast Frankish Empire – arguably the first empire with European dimensions. Today, Aachen is still a quintessentially international city, not in the least because of its location in the border triangle with the Netherlands and Belgium. Charlemagne’s legacy lives on in the stunning Dom which, in 1978, became Germany’s first Unesco World Heritage Site. Aachen is also the birthplace of the famous Printen, crunchy spiced cookies spiked with herbs or nuts and drenched in chocolate or frosting. Yum!
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Orientation
Aachen’s centre is contained within two concentric ring roads and is best explored on foot. The inner ring road encloses the Altstadt proper and is called Grabenring because it’s composed of segments all ending in ‘graben’ (meaning ‘moat’). The outer ring is known as Alleenring, even though only some of its segments end in ‘allee’ (meaning ‘avenue’). The Hauptbahnhof is just south of this outer ring, on Römerstrasse. From here it’s a 10- to 15-minute signed walk to the tourist office and the Altstadt.
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Information
Mayersche Buchhandlung ( 477 00; Buchkremerstrasse 1-7) Books galore. Also at Pontstrasse 131.
Post office ( 01802-3333; Kapuzinerkarree, Kapuzinergraben 19) Inside a shopping mall.
ReiseBank ( 912 6872; Lagerhausstrasse 9; 9.45am-2pm, 2.45-5.45pm Mon-Fri) Currency exchange.
Tourist office ( 180 2960/1; www.aachen-tourist.de; Elisenbrunnen, Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat, also 10am-2pm Sun Easter-Dec)
Universitätsklinikum Aachen ( 808 4444; Pauwelsstrasse 30) Major hospital, 2km northwest of the city centre.
Web ( 997 9210; Kleinmarschierstrasse 74-76; per 10min €0.50; 10am-11pm Mon-Wed, to midnight Thu, to 3am Fri & Sat, 11am-10pm Sun) Internet access.
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Sights
From April to October and in December, the tourist office runs 90-minute English-language walking tours for €6.
DOM
It’s impossible to overestimate the significance of Aachen’s magnificent cathedral ( 4770 9144; www.aachendom.de, in German; Münsterplatz; 7am-6pm Nov-Mar, 7am-7pm Apr-Oct). The burial place of Charlemagne, it’s where more than 30 German kings were crowned and where pilgrims have flocked since the 12th century.
The oldest and most impressive section is Charlemagne’s palace chapel, the Pfalzkapelle, an outstanding example of Carolingian architecture. Completed in 800, the year of the emperor’s coronation, it’s an octagonal dome encircled by a 16-sided ambulatory supported by antique Italian pillars. The colossal brass chandelier was a gift from Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa during whose reign Charlemagne was canonised in 1165.
Pilgrims have poured into town ever since that time, drawn in as much by the cult surrounding Charlemagne as by the prized relics – said to include Christ’s loincloth – that he had brought to