CHARLEMAGNE - A WEIRD CONNECTION BETWEEN ALUVA, INDIA & AACHEN, GERMANY
Aachen is an one of the easy day-trips from Brussels with just 2hr travel time by train. It is also pretty cheap to take a train from Brussels to Aachen which begins of €19. Aachen is one of the off-beat places to see in Germany and walking the Route Charlemagne is one of the top things to do in North Rhine Westphalia region.
Climbing Lousberg is easy. It has a motorable/wheelchair/stroller friendly road as well as staircase. Atop Lousberg are a couple of things to see. Ofcourse there is the sculpture of Devil and the Lady, then there are Ancient Columns/Aachen Acropolis, an Obelisk, and ofcourse the view point.
Ancient Columns / Aachen Acropolis is pretty much misleading. It only belongs to after 1806 CE, when the landscaping of this region began. It was a part of Belvedere restaurant & casino which were destroyed during World Wars, and only these columns survived.
The Obelisk belongs to 1815 CE to honour of geographer Tranchot with a eulogy for Napoleon. It replaced the damaged one that was already there since 1807 CE! There's also the Devil & Marketlady sculpture, Lousberg Pavilion and Observation tower. We did picnic out there sitting on the grass in the bright sunny noon!Nearest Railway Station: Aachen HBF. Lousberg can be reached by public transport in 30 mins
Our afternoon began with Aachen Cathedral and after that we explored the city. The most important walking tour (official Interactive Walking Tour of Route Charlemagne, Aachen) would be to follow the Route Charlemagne, which begins at Centre Charlemagne. A quick tour of this museum is necessary to understand who is Charlemagne and the city! Its located right beside the Cathedral and this square is a rather quiet, peaceful place to hang out with no commercial establishments or kiosks!
Next stop was Elisbrunnen and its garden behind it. Aachen was a thermal baths destination, ages ago. Romans excessively exploited the medicinal properties of the Sulphur rich hot springs! There are about 30 thermal springs around here! This is why you'd see 'Bad Aachen' in several boards, the town's original name - Bath Aachen in German. Sadly it is not so now! Efforts were made to revive promote the baths but there hasn't been much success. There is only one functioning spa currently, in the outskirts, near Hampton Hotel, called Carolus Thermen. But guess what, this makes it a fantastic spot for baths without much crowd like Budapest or Spa! Elisbrunnen was one such location and today there are 2 hot water spring here just to have an idea.
In this garden are also the Archaeological Window showcasing the excavations of Aachen. Aachen under Roman empire was 20-30 hectares. Recently excavations happened in 2000 sqm. Today 60sqm is open for public to view. This is in several layers depicting Aachen since stone age (4700-4550 BCE) through roman empire through middle ages. Its an egg shaped building when you see it from atop. Such windows, but smaller, are present in multiple places across Aachen including Town Hall, Cathedral etc.
Our next stop was Conven Museum, but it was almost closing by the time we were there! However we just stopped for a few moments at its 'Pharmacy room'. Its a house originally built in 1662, but was renovated in Rococo style in 1786. The house is still maintained as how a normal house would have been in 1700s!
Just beside this are these Roman arches! This place is called the Roman Portico. However this isn't the original. The original coloumns and arches are in the Archaeological museum in Bonn. Its a replica here. Its a lively square surrounded by several restaurants and bars and this portico is where all the kids play!!!
How to reach Route Charlemagne Aachen attractions (on Google Maps): Rathaus, Grashaus, Elisbrunnen, Archaeological Window, Conven Museum, Roman Portico
Nearest Railway Station: Aachen HBF (all these Route Charlemagne places to see are walkable from here)
Opening Hours & Tickets of of Elisbrunnen, Archaeological Window, Roman Portico Aachen - Free; Open 24 x 7
Grashaus Aachen Tickets & Opening Hours: Closed to public normally. Can be visited only with guided tour pre-booked via email.
Carolus Thermen Aachen Tickets: from €12. Children below 6yrs not allowed.
Grashaus Aachen Tickets & Opening Hours: Closed to public normally. Can be visited only with guided tour pre-booked via email.
Carolus Thermen Aachen Tickets: from €12. Children below 6yrs not allowed.
Carolus Thermen Aachen Opening Hours: 9:00AM to 11:00PM Daily.
Conven Museum Aachen Tickets: €6
Conven Museum Aachen Tickets: €6
Conven Museum Aachen Opening Hours: 9:00AM to 5:00PM Tue-Sun
Aachen Rathaus Tickets: €6
Aachen Rathaus Tickets: €6
Aachen Rathaus Opening Hours: 10:00AM to 6:00PM Daily; Can be exceptionally closed for events
So, how many know of Charlemagne already? Most Europeans would know who he is, as well as people from Kerala in India!!! That's an absolute weird connection isn't it? Well, Kerala is in the west coast of India and it was one of the prime locations where traders and explorers from Europe, landed in, including Vasco da Gama. //Columbus wanted to do that and went the other way and stumbled upon America and thought he's in India, which is why the Native Americans called are Indians!//. Kerala is the state where all 3 major religions (Hinduism, Christianity and Islam) have a major presence.
During colonization (India was a British Colony), unusual art forms propped up here, which were a combination of Indian & Western arts, including, Chavittu Natakam. While the art style, language and costumes were Indian, the stories enacted in this dance drama form were western. One of the primary stories enacted of Chavittu Natakam is Karalman (Caralman) Charithram. Charithram means History and Karalman (Caralman) is.... did you guess....... ofcourse, Charlemagne!!! Here's a 1 hr long, video of the performance in the YouTube channel of Kerala Tourism. These performances are usually night long and happen in village festivals with live music in outdoors, which is why the color & shine of the outfits and exaggeration of enactments!
Pic Courtesy: Vaikoovery - Own work via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
- Drielandenpunt - Technically, half a day would be enough to visit this point where the borders of BE, NL & DE join.
- Cologne - Cologne Cathedral and the birthplace of the fragrance Eau de Cologne.
- Monschau - The picturesque, medieval town located close to Eifel National Park
- Vennbahn Fietspad - A unique cycling path that was once the Vennbahn railway track along Belgium - Germany border that begins south of Aachen
- Liege - A Belgian city with a picturesque railway station of Liege Guillemins, Liège Citadel and home of Liege waffles.
AACHEN HOTELS
Aachen Hotels are available at most price points (budget to semi-luxury) in the city, including major chains like Mercure Aachen am Dom, Novotel Aachen City, Mercure Hotel Aachen Europaplatz, ibis Aachen Marschiertor etc. Read the review of the hotel we stayed in - Hampton by Hilton, Aachen.
Aachen Hotels are available at most price points (budget to semi-luxury) in the city, including major chains like Mercure Aachen am Dom, Novotel Aachen City, Mercure Hotel Aachen Europaplatz, ibis Aachen Marschiertor etc. Read the review of the hotel we stayed in - Hampton by Hilton, Aachen.
MY COMPLETE AACHEN & COLOGNE TRAVELOGUE: Aachen Cathedral, Route Charlemagne, Cologne Cathedral, Brühl Augustusburg Palace
P.S: I was invited by NRW & Aachen Tourism to experience the city for review purposes, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
I like how you visit these offbeat places that we do not know commonly. Aachen seems really pretty with that hike to Lousberg along with so many things to see on the way. I would love to spend a weekend here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information re Charlemagne, I have heard of if but never really understood. Aachen looks a pretty place to visit and to enjoy a walking tour around the city as well. The hike up to Lousberg looked a great way to spend the morning. I am pleased that it is wheelchair and pram friendly as well.
ReplyDeleteThat's something I had never heard of. I know there is one Charlemagne route in the south of France but far from my knowledge of one in Germany. What a wonderful combination of ancient ruins, rural villages, and natural scenery.
ReplyDeleteI love that Aachen is basically set up to do your own self guided walking tour to follow the route of Charlemagne. He is someone I always heard about in history books and it is so cool to see the places he went. I love the easy to access view point on the hill the view from there is wonderful. Bummer the baths are no longer available, I would love to take a soak. Thanks for the tour of Aachen!
ReplyDeleteIt is funny that people from Kerala know Charlemagne but as you explained, it is because many European traders and travellers frequently landed there! I have, personally, never heard of him and also not familiar with the route of Charlemagne. The old town hall must have been a good place to visit, I imagine!
ReplyDeleteNow, that's what I can an off-the-beaten-path place! The views from Lousberg Hill are really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI would love to follow the paths that Charlemagne took. We are history buffs and this would be perfect for us. It’s sad that there aren’t more thermal springs baths here anymore. I think I would like to visit Carolus Thermen.
ReplyDeleteIf I ever visit Aachen I'll definitely take the hike to Lousberg, it sounds like such a nice experience. The view from the top looks stunning. I have to admit I didn't know anything about Charlemagne and that I learned a lot from this (and your previous article).
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great city to explore. I love walking around a corner to find a gorgeous church like Aachen Cathedral. Bummer to reach Conven Museum at closing time, old homes are the best and 1662 is an impressed age
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see Roman influences (and columns) everywhere. I like the sneak window into the archaeological site. Wondering if they are going to continue to dig and explore more ?
ReplyDeleteI am actually not at all familiar! love discovering new, less touristy destinations. That skyline view is stunning!
ReplyDeleteI heard Charlemagne back.in my school years and I know that he has been an important leader in those days. It was awesome that you've visited his town and how impressive it is. Visiting museums would be more fun.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of Charlemagne before. It's really nice to know about Aachen. The cathedral, old town, and town hall look so pretty and I would certainly love to spend a week there.
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