Aachen

Recently I popped into Aachen for a quick look at its famous cathedral and treasury.

Town Hall
A cool building; it would be fun to see inside.

Cathedral
Aachen was Charlemagne's capital, and it had a suitably splendid cathedral, outside and in. The original building was started just before 800AD. I wanted to see the throne where centuries of German kings were crowned; regrettably, it was upstairs in the building and could be viewed only as part of a tour group.

Treasury
Near the cathedral is the treasury, housing a small collection of art. I was particularly interested in Charlemagne's reliquary. And his gilded right hand.

Conclusion
You can see these Aachen sights in an hour or two. If you're into history, I highly recommend that you do.