Aldenhoven, municipality in the Düren district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Aldenhoven is a small municipality in Germany's Düren district comprising several villages. The area features quiet streets lined with traditional brick houses, well-kept gardens, and open fields surrounding the community.
The community dates back many centuries and became known as a pilgrimage site in the 17th century. Coal mining shaped the region for over 50 years in the 20th century until the mines closed in the 1990s, prompting the town to reinvent itself.
Aldenhoven has deep roots in religious tradition, especially veneration of Mary that has drawn pilgrims since the 17th century. The community keeps these practices alive today, and visitors can see small chapels and prayer stations that show how central faith is to people's lives here.
The community is easy to explore on foot or by bicycle since most places are close together and streets are quiet and safe. Local buses connect different parts of Aldenhoven and make day trips to nearby towns convenient.
On the grounds of the former coal mines now sits the Aldenhoven Testing Center where companies test self-driving cars. The test tracks simulate real city traffic with intersections and bus stops across a 25 square kilometer area.
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