Großes Haus von Aachen

The Großes Haus von Aachen is a building on Pontstraße marked by a rounded arch gateway on the ground floor and horizontal cornice bands that divide the street facade. The dark gray walls are made of blue stone and brick, showing the craftsmanship of that building era.

Built in 1495 by mayor Heinrich Dollart, it merged two older residential houses on the site. The cellars from the original buildings remain preserved beneath the structure today.

It has housed the International Newspaper Museum since 1931, which transformed into a multimedia exhibition center in 2011 and shows visitors the history of print media. Today visitors can see original newspapers and printing techniques that demonstrate how information sharing has changed over time.

The building sits in central Aachen at Pontstraße 13 and is easily reached on foot. The museum exhibitions inside are open to visitors during regular hours.

It survived the devastating fire of 1656 relatively unscathed, making it one of the few remaining stone houses from that era in Aachen. Its survival makes it a rare witness to the city's medieval building stock.