Aachen ( listen ? / i ), actually Bad Aachen [2] (probably from Proto-Germanic * ahwo , "water flow"; Öcher Platt : Oche ) is a county-level city and spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia Cologne Region , Member of the Regional Association of the Rhineland and belongs to the Aachen-law with effect from October 21, 2009 as a county-level city of Aachen region . 1890 exceeded Aachen for the first time the population of 100,000 and has since become the most western German city . The city is known for her down to the Neolithic rich history and its associated therewith cultural, archaeological and architectural heritage.
Aachen is located on the border with the Netherlands and Belgium ( Meuse-Rhine ) on the northern edge of the Eifel or of the Rhenish Slate Mountains . The Eifel and the High Fens in the south, vast areas between the Lower Rhine and Lower Meuse and the Ardennes are adjacent to Aachen landscapes. Nearby larger cities Netherlands). In addition, Aachen bordered to the north and east by an urban conurbation, to the cities of Herzogenrath , Ubach-Palenberg , Alsdorf , Baesweiler and Wuerselen north, Eschweiler northeast and Stolberg east of the city include.
The Cathedral , the landmark of the city of Aachen, and the Cathedral in 1978 as the first German cultural monument and second world cultural monument in the world heritage list of UNESCO included. Aachen is a bishopric . The RWTH Aachen has one of the largest and most traditional technical universities in Europe, since 2007 in the framework of the Excellence Initiative is funded. For services to European unity, the Charlemagne Prize Board awards the prestigious annual Charlemagne Prize of Aachen .