Aachen, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, is where one of the towering figures of European history both lived and died, In choosing Aachen, they were invoking the so-called ‘Father of Europe’, Charlemagne, known in German as Karl der Große. When the carefully laid plans of the Lombards and the Pope failed, Charlemagne and his armies swept down the Italian peninsula, taking the Lombard crown for himself. Now, as the first 'Holy Roman Emperor’, Charles or 'Charlemagne’ ('Charles the Great') had the kind of unified control over the European Continent that hadn't been seen in more than three centuries. Photo: DPAWhen Charlemagne died in 814, he left a European continent more unified, more stable than it had been since the fall of Rome. No wonder, then, that Merkel and Macron chose his favoured residence, Aachen, to sign their latest treaty.

Source: The Local January 30, 2019 14:26 UTC