stadtaachen

Well, in bronze at any rate. The horses, created by Bonifatius Stirnberg, are outside Aachen’s central station, welcoming visitors from around the world – visitors who will be quick to notice that Aacheners are well-known for their free-thinking, uncluttered, pioneer-style attitude to life and their open, honest (and often direct) manner. And their love of horses. Indeed, the first Aachener, 30,000 years ago, was actually a horse – at least according to a historic fossil-find. And legend has it that Charlemagne’s horse discovered the hot springs, paving the way for the foundation of the city.

Because they’re aware of their importance, Aachen’s horses are happy horses. They laugh outside the City Theatre and help with the cooking on Market Square (Markt). And they graze colourfully wherever you least expect them. In this way, many Aachen shopkeepers have cottoned onto the attractions of these graceful animals – even when subjected to fairly liberal artistic interpretation!

Aacheners don’t just love horses of all shapes and sizes – they also have a special affinity to horse-riding. The region’s many places for outings on horseback make it a paradise for people who love riding. But those who prefer to watch others do it instead are well catered for in Aachen too. This is home to CHIO, the World Equestrian Festival, with international champions competing against each other every year in a variety of disciplines and cheered on in great style by over 350,000 visitors from the whole world over.

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