In the present day, the meandering borders of the Low Countries mean that Aachen is a German town that sits right next to both Belgium and the Netherlands. Its 270,000 residents also live in the shadow of Aachen Cathedral (pictured), built on Charlemagne’s orders and still the last resting place of his body.

Numerous artifacts from the early Holy Roman Empire can be found in the Cathedral Treasury and many medieval buildings stand near the cathedral's precincts, having survived the horrors of 20th-century war.

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