Grashaus (Grass House), Aachen

Grashaus is not only one of the oldest buildings in the city, but also historically significant as Aachen's first town hall. It was completed in 1267, but probably stands on even older foundations, possibly from the Carolingian period. The grass house owes its name to the grass, a medieval village green on which executions as well as public festivals and allegedly the burials of the executed took place.

The building came at a time of social change. From the 12th century, the aspiring citizens, who had become rich through trade and the manufacture of cloth, increasingly demanded a say in the affairs of the emperors and kings ruling in Aachen. On January 8, 1166, city rights were granted by Emperor Friedrich I, Barbarossa and, on the basis of the so-called Charlemagne privilege, all residents were freed from feudal servitude and exempted from customs duties in the Aachen Empire. From the year 1250, a city council headed by two mayors finally took over the administrative business of the royal lay judges, who from then on were mainly responsible for the jurisdiction.
The associated construction of a town hall, burgerhuys, also known as domus civium and burger grass, also had a symbolic character and at the same time was an expression of the self-confidence of an aspiring citizenry. This construction was also approved by King Richard of Cornwall, who was crowned in Aachen in 1257 and who shared in the costs with a generous financial donation.