Palace of Aachen, Royal palace in Aachen, Germany.
The Palace of Aachen was a complex of residential, political and religious buildings laid out by Odo of Metz within a 120-metre square, with the council hall to the north and the Palatine Chapel to the south. The chapel survives within the cathedral, while the foundations and lower walls of the hall and the first three storeys of the Granus Tower remain in the town hall.
Charlemagne had the palace built in the 790s and made it the governing center of the Carolingian Empire until his death in 814. Most buildings of the complex disappeared over the centuries, while the chapel survived as the coronation site for German kings.
The original complex followed Byzantine models that Charlemagne encountered during his visits to Ravenna. The surviving chapel still shows colored marble cladding and gilded bronze screens that once recalled the splendor of eastern imperial seats.
Visitors can explore the preserved chapel at the center of the present cathedral, accessed through the main entrance. The interior involves steps, and guided tours help explain the medieval layout.
The original complex included a large thermal zone with a swimming pool that could hold more than one hundred bathers at once. Charlemagne made regular use of the city's hot springs, and bathing culture remained central to court life.
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