Timeline of Aachen

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Aachen, Germany.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Prior to 14th century

• 451 – Town "pillaged by the Huns."^[1]
• 786 – Palace of Charlemagne construction begins.^[2]
• 796 – Palatine Chapel construction begins (approximate date).
• 799 – Karlsschützengilde [de] (militia) formed.^[3]
• 813 – 13 September: Coronation of Louis the Pious as King of the Franks.^[4]
• 814 – 28 January: Death of Charlemagne.^[5]
• 816 – Catholic Council of Aachen establishes the Rule of Aix.
• 936 – 7 August: Coronation of King of Germany Otto I in Aachen Cathedral.
• 961 – Coronation of Otto II.
• 983
  • Coronation of Otto III as King of Germany.^[1]
  • Chapel rebuilt.^[4]
• 1028 – Coronation of Henry III as King of Germany.
• 1054 – Coronation of Henry IV
• 1087 – Coronation of Conrad II.
• 1099 – Coronation of Henry V as King of Germany.
• 1125 – Coronation of Lothair II as King of the Romans.
• 1138 – Coronation of Conrad III as King of the Romans.
• 1147 – Coronation of Henry Berengar as King of Germany.
• 1152 – Coronation of Frederick I as King of the Romans.
• 1169 – Coronation of Henry VI as King of the Romans.
• 1198 – Coronation of Otto IV.
• 1205 – Coronation of Philip of Swabia.
• 1215
  • Coronation of Frederick II.
  • Karlsschrein (shrine of Charlemagne) built in cathedral.^[4]
• 1222 – Coronation of Henry as German King.
• 1248 – Siege of Aachen; followed by coronation of William II of Holland.
• 1257 – Coronation of Richard as King of the Romans.
• 1273 – Coronation of Rudolph I.
• 1292 – Coronation of Adolf, King of Germany.
• 1298 – Coronation of Albert I.
• late 13th century – Ponttor (city gate) built, first mentioned in 1320.^[6]
• 1300 – Marschiertor [de] (gate) built (approximate date).

14th–18th centuries

Main article: Free Imperial City of Aachen

• 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 built.^[4]
• 1376 – Coronation of Wenceslaus IV as King of Germany.
• 1414 – Coronation of Sigismund 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 as King of Germany.
• 1531 – Coronation of Ferdinand I as King of Germany.
• 1580 – Protestant Reformation (approximate date).
• 1601 – Population: 14,171.

Siege of Aachen (1614)

• 1614 – August: Siege of Aachen.
• 1656 – Fire.
• 1668 – May: Town hosts signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668).^[7]
• 1748 – April: Town hosts international Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle and signing of treaty.^[7]
• 1787 – Aachen Symphony Orchestra [de] active.
• 1794 – Town occupied by French forces.^[5]
• 1795 – Population: 23,413.

19th century

• 1801
  • Town becomes part of France, per Peace of Lunéville.
  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Aachen established.^[8]
• 1815 – Town becomes part of the Kingdom of Prussia, per Congress of Vienna.
• 1817
  • Mayersche Buchhandlung [de] (bookseller) in business.^[9]
  • Population: 32,300.^[10]
• 1818 – October: Town hosts international Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle.
• 1825
  • Theater Aachen opens.
  • Lower Rhenish Music Festival held.
• 1834 – Lower Rhenish Music Festival held; performers include Frédéric Chopin.
• 1840 – Population: 44,289.
• 1841 – Cologne-Aachen railway begins operating.
• 1846 – Lower Rhenish Music Festival held, directed by Felix Mendelssohn; performers include Jenny Lind.

Mid-19th century panorama of the city

• 1849 – Reuters news agency in business.^[11]
• 1853 – Aachen–Mönchengladbach railway begins operating.
• 1857 – Lower Rhenish Music Festival held, directed by Franz Liszt.
• 1859 – Church of Our Lady built.^[12]
• 1867 – Population: 67,923.^[13]
• 1870 – Polytechnikum (school) opens.
• 1880 – Tram begins operating.
• 1885
  • Verein für Kunde der Aachener Vorzeit [de] (history association) founded.
  • Population: 95,321.
• 1888 – Church of St. James built.^[12]
• 1890 – Population: 103,470.^[4]
• 1895 – Electric tram begins operating.
• 1897 – Burtscheid becomes part of Aachen.
• 1900 – Alemannia Aachen football club formed.

20th century

German prisoners of war march through Aachen, October 1944

• 1905 – Aachen Hauptbahnhof (railway station) opens.
• 1908 – Jünglingverein Sankt Jakob Aachen (sport club) formed.
• 1919 – Population: 145,748.^[14]
• 1923 – October: Rhenish Republic established.
• 1924 – Rhenish Republic ends.
• 1928 – Tivoli stadium opens.
• 1942 – Forced labour camp established in the Burtscheid district.^[15]
• 1944
  • April: Forced labour camp moved from Burtscheid to the Steinebrück district.^[15]
  • May: Forced labour camp in Steinebrück dissolved.^[15]
  • October: Battle of Aachen. Americans capture city.
• 1949 – Aachen I parliamentary district created.
• 1950 – Zimmertheater Aachen founded.
• 1951 – Theater Aachen rebuilt.
• 1954 – Elysee Theatre re-opens.^[16]
• 1956 – Belvedere Water Tower built.
• 1959 – Scotch-Club opens.
• 1960 – Aachener Tierpark [de] (zoo) established.^[17]
• 1961 – Museum established in Frankenberg Castle.
• 1965 – Computermuseum Aachen founded.
• 1968 – Bilal Mosque [de] built.^[18]
• 1970 – July: Aachen Open Air Pop Festival held.
• 1971
  • Aachen University of Applied Sciences established.
  • Population: 176,626.
• 1972
  • Brand becomes part of Aachen.
  • Kurt Malangré becomes mayor.
  • Population: 238,570.
• 1980 – Rugby Club Aachen formed.
• 1985 – Klinikum Aachen opens.
• 1986
  • First independent Theatre (Theater 99) opens
  • Neuer Aachener Kunstverein [de] (art nonprofit) founded.^[19]
• 1989 – Jürgen Linden becomes mayor.
• 2000 – Karlsgarten (garden) opens.^[20]

21st century

• 2003 – Cologne–Aachen high-speed railway in operation.
• 2006 – Host of World Equestrian Games.
• 2009
  • New Tivoli stadium opens.
  • Marcel Philipp [de] becomes mayor.^[21]
  • City becomes part of Städteregion Aachen.
• 2012 – Population: 240,086.
• 2015 – City hosts the 2015 European Dressage Championships.
• 2019 – Treaty on Franco-German Cooperation and Integration signed by French president Macron and German Federal Chancellor Merkel.
• 2020 – Sibylle Keupen becomes first female mayor.
• 2025 – Michael Ziemons becomes mayor.

See also

• Aachen history
• List of mayors of Aachen
• History of Aachen [de]
• Timelines of other cities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia:^(de) Bonn, Cologne, Dortmund, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Essen, Münster