There is no doubt that Emperor Charlemagne was the most prominent citizen of Aachen and that this was the residence which he used most frequently. Nevertheless, Charlemagne was a restless traveller and his long-gone empire had no capital. He died in 814 and, were it not for the golden shrine containing his real bones in the old chapel, as well as the various Europe-related activities of the city, other European cities would have long since laid claim to the privilege of being Charlemagne's city and thus truly European. Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl are two of the few Germans who met the criteria of the selection committee - of which the rector of RWTH is a member. Together with numerous street markets and a summer music festival, these all make an essential contribution to Aachen's lively and colourful image.
Students make up an enormous part of the city's younger population.
This figure also reflects the economic importance of these institutions to the city. RWTH is the largest employer in the region, and together with the smaller FH, it also generates employment by attracting national and international firms to work in the vicinity of its research facilities.