In our trip to Germany we have visited the stunning cathedral of Aachen, probably the most important monument of the country, and the place where for more than five centuries its kings were crowned. It was built under Charlemagne in his capital city about from 790 to 800 as his palatine chapel and the nucleus of today's cathedral. It was constructed as the first church of this type north of the Alps by architects from Metz, called by the king to repeat the structures of the churches that he had seen in Rome and Ravenna (in particular that of Saint Vitale), and consecrated by the Pope Leo III in 805. It had an octagonal ground plan, ringed by an aisle, surmounted by tribunes and roofed by a dome; only part of the original building can still be seen from the exterior on the right side of the cathedral, because a new dome was built in the 18th on the old one. After the fire in 1224 began the construction of the first additions: in 1350 was built the tower on the narthex, in 1414 completed the Gothic choir and then other Gothic chapels, some of which reconstructed in Baroque style (18th century). The main entrance to the cathedral still has the nice original door in bronze with heads of lions, melted at the time of Charlemagne under the direction of Einhard, and gives on the narthex, that keeps a Roman sculpture of a bear of the 2nd century and that of a pinecone of the 10th century. The stunning octagonal Carolingian structure, still well recognizable although the heavy decoration of 1879-81. There are eight arches supported by incredibly massive pillars of two colours, surmounted by a two storeyed tribune with two columns on each side and storey (under triple arches and with gratings of the time of Charlemagne in the first, under only one arch in the second). In the middle of the octagon hangs the huge cooper chandelier (1160-1170), symbol of the heavenly Jerusalem, made under Frederick I Barbarossa. In the tribune there is the Charlemagne's throne, simple but massive, where the kings received the princes' homage after the coronation. The surrounding chapels of the galleries are built on others constructed on the ground floor. There are the chapels of Saint Charles (1465-74), with a nice Gothic portal, where the kings prayed the night before the coronation, of Hungary, built in the 14th century and reconstructed in Baroque style, of Saint Anna (1449, in Gothic style), of Saint Matthias (1400, in Gothic style), where the kings were dressed before the coronation, of Saint Nicholas, Gothic, and of Saint Hubertus (1455-74), from which you can reach the cloister, in part Romanesque and in part Gothic, with columns made of black marble, nice vaults and windows. The stunning Gothic choir of the cathedral, built from 1355 to 1414, similar to that of the Saint Chapel of Paris, has modern stained-glass windows and on the exterior statues of the 19th century. There is the Carolingian altar (800) with the beautiful Golden pall, with 16 relieves, melted on the model of that of Venice, in 1020 in Fulda under the emperor Henry II the Saint. Near it there is a lectern in the form of an eagle, of the 15th century, and the statue of the Aachen Virgin, of the 14th century. Another masterpiece of the Ottonian art is the ambo, donated by Henry IIth for its coronation, made of golden and cooper leaves, divided by filigree, and decorated by gems, six Egyptian relieves made of ivory (6th century), an Egyptian cup and a crystal plate (10th century) and various fragments. The last and biggest masterpiece is the silver casket (near an another one similar), with relieves and sculptures, made in Aachen from 1200 to 1215, to contain the bones of Charlemagne; over it hangs a double statue of the Virgin, one of 1488, the other of 1524.

I think that Aachen cathedral is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen because of its incredibly beautiful architecture and its marvellous masterpieces. It's absolutely worth of a visit as one of the best WHS and fully justifies the inscription. The state of conservation of the buildings is perfect, but the authenticity of the Carolingian part of the church is altered by the many successive Gothic, Baroque and modern additions. In particular the modern ones diminish the authenticity of the Carolingian building and also of the additions: for example the inappropriate stained-glass windows of the choir, the modern mosaics and statues, even if they are imitations of high quality of historical styles. I was very disappointed by the fact that all the chapels are normally closed and you can see the Charlemagne's casket only from about 50 metres of distance because you can't walk in the choir. Also the cloister and the museum of the Treasure was closed, so we weren't also able to see the Charlemagne's throne, accessible only from the museum. Apart from the WHS, the most important monument of Aachen is the huge Gothic town hall. You can easily reach the town from an exit on the highway A4 going from Cologne to the boundary with the Netherlands; you have to park outside the town center.

Photo: Aachen - Cathedral