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Aachen was the original capital of the Holy Roman Empire. It now has stretched to reach the borders of both Belgium and the Netherlands. In the late 8th and 9th centuries, the city was the hub of the Frankish empire of Charlemagne (Karl der Grosse). His empire took in most of today's Germany, France, the Benelux, Austria, Switzerland and much of Italy and northern Spain. Charlemagne established his main court in Aachen partly for strategic reasons but also because of the hot springs there, which he enjoyed bathing in.
The city of Aachen was largely destroyed in a fire in 1656 and was heavily damaged in World War II.
Parts of Aachen were once independant prior the the beginning of the 20th century. Since then, they became one after the other part of the town of Aachen. They were Eilendorf, Brand, Forst, Burtscheid, Kornelimünster, Haaren, Wahlheim, Oberforstbach, Niederforstbach, Lichtenbusch, Hahn, and Richterich (source, Axel Bolle, Aachen.