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 adding missing items with 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 [de] 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.

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