Aachen Cathedral

Aachen Cathedral is the former Palatine Chapel and current cathedral of Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia, built by Charlemagne in the late 8th and early 9th centuries and noted for its Carolingian architecture and mosaics.

The most striking visitor features are the octagonal Palatine Chapel with its original Carolingian core and mosaic decoration, the later Gothic choir additions, and a treasury with medieval reliquaries and liturgical objects. The cathedral’s architecture spans Romanesque, Carolingian and Gothic phases and is a major pilgrimage and visitor destination.

Charlemagne commissioned and largely completed the Palatine Chapel around 792 to 805; the site later became the coronation church and burial place for many medieval rulers and was modified in the high medieval period. It has been conserved and adapted across centuries while retaining its Carolingian core.

The cathedral sits in the center of Aachen near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, at the edge of the Eifel uplands in western Germany.

• Best time to visit: Entry to the cathedral is often busiest at midday and on weekends; early morning or late afternoon visits are generally quieter for viewing the Palatine Chapel.

What to See #

• Palatine Chapel (Octagon): The central octagonal Palatine Chapel with its original Carolingian core and mosaics, built on the orders of Charlemagne in the late 8th and early 9th centuries.
• Choir and Gothic additions: The Gothic choir and vaulted nave added in later medieval centuries, forming the cathedral's eastern section and high altar area.
• Treasury and reliquaries: A treasury holding a significant collection of medieval reliquaries, liturgical objects and imperial regalia assembled over centuries.
• Imperial Throne and coronation furnishings: The imperial throne and associated ceremonial fittings dating to the medieval period that testify to the cathedral's role in royal ritual.