Aachen: Germany
Aachen (French Aix-la-Chapelle) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands, 65 km to the west of Cologne, and the westernmost city in Germany, at 5046? N 66? E. Population: 256,605 (2003).
The RWTH Aachen University of Technology (Rheinisch-Westflische Technische Hochschule) is one of the major universities for technical studies, especially for mechanical engineering. As a part of it, the Klinikum Aachen is the biggest single-building hospital in Europe. Over time, a host of software and computer industries have developed around the RWTH.
History
The Romans named the hot sulphur springs there Aquis-Granum. For the origin of the Granus several theories were developed, but it is now widely accepted that it derives from the celtic God of water and health. And since Roman times, the hot springs have been channeled into baths (which are still in use). h- is an Old German cognate with Latin aqua, both meaning “water”. In French-speaking areas of the former Empire the word aquas was turned into aix, hence Aix-en-Provence is an old Roman spa in Provence.
Related Travel Information
Krefeld: Germany
Krefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located southwest of the Ruhr area, just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine. (The borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine.) Population: 238,100. The city was known as Crefeld until 1900. It is accessed by A57 (Cologne - Nimwegen) and the A44 (Aachen - Dusseldorf - Dortmund - Kassel)
The origins of the town were in Roman times, when the legions founded the military camp of Gelduba (today the borough of Gellep). Krefeld itself was first mentioned in 1105 under the name of Krinvelde.
Siegen: Germany
Siegen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Siegen-Wittgenstein. As of December 31, 2003 it has a population of 106,143.
Twinned cities:
Berlin-Spandau, Germany, since 1952
Rijnsburg, the Netherlands, since 1963
Leeds, since 1966
Ypres, Belgium, since 1967
Zakopane, Poland, since 1989
Plauen, Saxony, Germany, since 1990
Recklinghausen: Germany
Recklinghausen is a city in the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 123.562 inhabitants as of June 30, 2003 it is the capital of the district Recklinghausen.
Heilbronn: Germany
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near Stuttgart. This district-free city is completely surrounded by the district Heilbronn. It is located on the river Neckar . As of 2004, it has ~120,900 inhabitants.
Heilbronn was first mentioned as Helibrunna in 741. In 1281, it was declared city by Rudolph I.
Witten: Germany
Witten is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in the southern Ruhr area in the Ruhr valley. It was first mentioned in historic sources in 1214, however the borough Herbede (which was incorporated into the city in 1975) even dates back to 851. The city was a mining town from 1578.
Witten is twinned with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, UK
