Fifty life-sized statues of German rulers, including 30 kings crowned in Aachen between AD 936 and 1531, adorn the facade of Aachen's splendid Gothic town hall. Inside, the undisputed highlight is the vaulted coronation hall where the post-ceremony banquets were held. Note the epic 19th-century frescoes and replicas of the imperial insignia: a crown, orb and sword (the originals are in Vienna).

　　The Rathaus was built in the 14th century atop the foundations of Charlemagne’s palace, of which the eastern tower, the Granusturm, is the oldest part to survive.