Klenkes – Aachen’s greeting to the world

A warm welcome! OK, you’ve picked up our booklet to discover more about Aachen and us “Öchers” who live there. But did you notice the rather enigmatic hand signal? Strange but true! Allow us to explain …

For generations now, wherever they may meet in the world, Aacheners have been greeting each other by raising the little finger on their right hands. Aachen must be the only city with its very own hand signal! Its precise origins, though, are a matter of debate – the explanation you’ll hear most commonly is that, during the city’s industrial past, workers in our famous needle factories used to quality-test the finished needles and flick (“klenken”) any imperfect ones out using their little fingers. Hence the greeting which quickly spread to the local population.

Enough theory: try it out for yourself! Give a Klenkes to the next Aachen car you meet on the road (our number plates begin with “AC”) and you can be sure of a friendly response! Want to find out more about Aachen and its people? Allow us to raise our little fingers and extend you a cordial invitation to browse through our Stories, discover new Places and let our Snapshots inspire you!

Tasters