Grashaus, Gothic municipal building in Aachen, Germany
The Grashaus is a Gothic civic building in the old town of Aachen, with a limestone facade featuring seven blind arcades and stone statues set into the upper wall. Over the centuries it has served as a town hall, a courthouse, and a prison, and today houses a public exhibition space.
The Grashaus was built in the 13th century as Aachen's first town hall, and civic administration moved out when a new town hall was erected in the following century. The building then took on a judicial role, functioning as a courthouse and prison for several hundred years.
The building now serves as Station Europa on the Route Charlemagne, where visitors and school groups can explore exhibitions about the history of European unity. The route connects several sites across the city, and this stop focuses on Aachen's place at the center of that story.
The building sits in the heart of Aachen's old town, close to the cathedral, and is easy to reach on foot from most city center points of interest. A visit here fits naturally into any walk through the historic center.
The International Charlemagne Prize Foundation keeps its office inside the Grashaus, where the work behind one of Europe's oldest integration awards takes place. The prize has been awarded since 1950, just a few years after the end of World War II.
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