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AIX , a See also:city of See also:south-eastern See also:France, See also:capital of an See also:arrondissement in the See also:department of Bouches-du-See also:Rhone, 18 m. N. of See also:Marseilles by See also:rail. Pop. (1906) 19,433. It is situated in a See also:plain overlooking the Arc, about a mile from the right See also:bank of the See also:river. The Cours See also:Mirabeau, a wide thoroughfare, planted with See also:double rows of See also:plane-trees, bordered by See also:fine houses and decorated by three fountains, divides the See also:town into two portions. The new town extends to the south, the old town with its wide but irregular streets and its old mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries lies to the See also:north. Aix is an important educational centre, being the seat of the faculties of See also:law and letters of the university of Aix-Marseille, and the north and See also:east See also:quarter of the town, where the See also:schools and university buildings are situated, is comparable to the Latin Quarter of See also:Paris. The See also:cathedral of St Sauveur, which See also:dates from the rith, 12th and 13th centuries, is situated in this portion of Aix. It is preceded by arich portal in the See also:Gothic See also:style with elaborately carved doors, and is flanked on the north by an uncompleted See also:tower. The interior contains See also:tapestry of the 16th See also:century and other See also:works of See also:art. The See also:archbishop's See also:palace and a Romanesque See also:cloister adjoin the cathedral on its south See also:side. The See also: In 102 B.C. its neighbourhood was the See also:scene of the defeat inflicted on the See also:Cimbri and Teutones by See also:Marius. In the 4th century it became the See also:metropolis of Narbonensis Secunda. It was occupied by the Visigoths in 477, in the succeeding century was repeatedly plundered by the See also:Franks and See also:Lombards, and was occupied by. the See also:Saracens in 731. Aix, which during the middle ages was the capital of the See also:county of Provence, did not reach its See also:zenith until after the 12th century, when, under the houses of See also:Aragon and See also:Anjou, it became an See also:artistic centre and seat of learning. With the See also:rest of Provence, it passed to the See also:crown of France in 1487, and in 15o1 See also: The city consists of the old inner town, the former ramparts of which have been converted into promenades, and the newer See also:outer town and suburbs. Of the ancient See also:gates but two remain, the Ponttor on the N.W. and the Marschiertor on the S. Its See also:general See also:appearance is that rather of a spacious See also:modern, than of a See also:medieval city full of See also:historical associations.
Of the cluster of buildings in the centre, which are conspicuous from afar, the town See also: The older portion, the See also:capella in palatio, an octagonal building surmounted by a See also:dome, was designed on the See also:model of See also:San Vitale at See also:Ravenna by Udo of See also:Metz, was begun under Charlemagne's auspices in 796 and consecrated by See also:Pope See also:Leo III. in 8o5. After being almost entirely wrecked by See also:Norman raiders it was rebuilt, on the See also:original lines, in 983, by the See also:emperor See also:Otto III. It is surrounded on the first See also:story by a sixteen-sided See also:gallery (the Hochmunster) adorned by See also:antique See also:marble and See also:granite columns, of various sizes, brought by Charlemagne's orders from See also:Rome, Ravenna and See also:Trier. These were removed by See also:Napoleon to Paris, but restored to their original positions after the See also:peace of 1815. The See also:mosaic representing See also:Christ surrounded by "the four-and-twenty elders," which originally lined the See also:cupola, had almost entirely perished by the 19th century, but was re-stored in 1882 from a copy made in the 17th century. Interesting too are the magnificent See also:west doors, See also:cast in See also:bronze by native workmen in 804. Underneath the dome, according to tradition, was the See also:tomb of Charlemagne, which, on being opened by Otto III. in r000, disclosed the See also:body of the emperor, vested in See also: The Gothic See also:choir, forming the more modern portion of the cathedral, was added during the latter See also:half of the 14th and thebeginning of the 15th century, and contains the tomb of the emperor Otto III. The cathedral possesses many See also:relics, the more sacred of which are exhibited only once every seven years, when they attract large crowds of worshippers. Of the other thirty-three churches in the city those of St Foillan (founded in the 12th century, but twice rebuilt, in the 15th and 17th centuries, and restored in 1883) and St See also:Paul, with its beautiful stained-See also:glass windows, are remarkable. In addition to those already mentioned, Aix-la-Chapelle possesses several fine See also:secular buildings: the Suermondt museum, containing besides other See also:miscellaneous exhibits the fine collection of pictures by See also:early German, Dutch and Flemish masters, presented to the town by Bartholomaus Suermondt (d. 1887); the public library; the See also:theatre; the See also:post-See also:office; and the fine new central railway station. Among the schools may be mentioned the magnificently equipped Rhenish-Westphalian Poly-technic School (built 1865-187o) and the school of See also:mining and See also:electricity, founded in 1897. There are many fine streets and squares and some handsome public monuments, notably among the last the See also:fountain on the market square surmounted by a statue of Charlemagne, the bronze equestrian statue of the emperor William I. facing the theatre, the Kriegerdenkmal (a memorial to those who See also:fell in the See also:war of 1870) and the Kongress-Denkmal, a marble hall in antique style erected in 1844 on the Adalberts-Steinweg to commemorate the famous See also:congress of 1818 (see below). Of the squares, the See also:principal is the See also:Friedrich-VVilhelmplatz, on which lies the Elisenbrunnen with its See also:colonnade and See also:garden, the See also:chief resort of visitors taking the baths and See also:waters. The hot See also:sulphur springs of Aix-la-Chapelle were known to the Romans and have been celebrated for centuries as specific in the cure of See also:rheumatism, See also:gout and scrofulous disorders. There are six in all, of which the Kaiserquelle, with a temperature of 136° F., is the chief. In the neighbouring Burtscheid (incorporated in 1897 with Aix-la-Chapelle) are also springs of far higher temperature, and this suburb,. which has also a Kurgarten, is largely frequented during the See also:season. In respect of trade and See also:industry Aix-la-Chapelle occupies a high See also:place. Its cloth and See also:silk manufactures are important, and
I. I5owing to the opening up of extensive coalfields in the See also:district almost every See also:branch of iron industry is carried on. It has some large breweries and manufactories of chemicals, and does a considerable trade in cereals, See also:leather, See also:timber and See also:wine. It is also an important banking centre and has several See also:insurance societies of reputation.
The See also:country immediately surrounding Aix-la-Chapelle presents many attractive features. From the Lousberg and the Salvatorberg to the north, the latter crowned by a chapel, magnificent views of the city are obtained; while covering the hills 2 M. west stretches the Stadtwald, a See also:forest with charming walks and drives.
History.—Aix-la-Chapelle is the Aquisgranum of the Romans, named after See also:Apollo Granus, who was worshipped in connexion with hot springs. As early as A.D. 765 King See also:Pippin had a "palace" here, in which it is probable that Charlemagne was See also:born. The greatness of Aix was due to the latter, who between 777 and 786 built a magnificent palace on the site of that of his See also:father, raised the place to the See also:rank of the second city of the See also:empire, and made it for a while the centre of Western culture and learning. From the coronation of Louis the Pious in 813 until that of See also: It was not, however, till See also:late in the 12th century (1172-1176) that the city was surrounded with walls by See also:order of the emperor Frederick I., to whom (in 1166) and to his See also:grandson Frederick II. (in 1215) it owed its first important civic rights. These were still further extended in 1250 by the See also:anti-See also:Caesar William of See also: In 1656 a great fire completed the ruin wrought by the religious See also:wars. By the treaty of See also:Luneville (18o1) Aix was incorporated with France as chief town of the department of the Roer. By the congress of See also:Vienna it was given to Prussia. The contrast between the new regime and the ancient tradition of the city was curiously illustrated in 1818 by a scene described in Metternich's See also:Memoirs, when, before the opening .of the congress, See also:Francis I., emperor of See also:Austria, regarded by all Germany as the successor of the Holy Roman emperors, knelt at the tomb of Charlemagne amid a worshipping See also:crowd, while the See also:Protestant Frederick William III. of Prussia, the new See also:sovereign of the place, stood in the midst, "looking very uncomfortable." See Quix, Geschichte der Stadt Aachen (1841) ; Pick, Aus Aachens Vergangenheit (Aachen, 1895) ; Bock, Karls See also:des grossen Pfalzkapelle (Cologne, 1867) ; and Beissel, Aachen als Kurort (1889). AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, CONGRESSES OF. Three congresses have been held at Aix-la-Chapelle: the first in 1668, the second in 1748, the third in 1818. r. The treaty of the 2nd of May 1668, which put an end to the War of See also:Devolution, was the outcome of that of St Germain II signed on the 15th of See also:April by France and the representatives of the See also:powers of the Triple See also:Alliance. The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle See also:left to France all the conquests made in See also:Flanders during the See also:campaign of 1667, with all their " appartenances, dependances et annexes." a vague See also:provision of which, after the peace of Nijrawegen (1680), Louis XIV. took See also:advantage to occupy a number of villages and towns adjudged to him by his Chamlrres de See also:reunion as dependencies of the cities and territories acquired in 1668. On the other hand, France restored to See also:Spain the cities of Camhrai, See also:Aire and See also:Saint-Omer, as well as the See also:province of Franche See also:Comte. The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was placed under the See also:guarantee of Great See also:Britain, See also:Sweden and Holland, by a See also:convention signed at the See also:Hague on the 7th of May 1669, to which Spain acceded. See Jean du Mont, See also:baron de Carlscroon, See also:Corps universel diplomatique (Amst., 1726-1731). 2. On the 24th of April 1748 a congress assembled at Aix-la-Chapelle for the purpose of bringing to a conclusion the struggle known as the War of See also:Austrian See also:Succession. Between the 3oth of April and the 21St of May the preliminaries were agreed to between Great Britain, France and Holland, and to these Maria See also:Theresa, See also:queen of Bohemia and See also:Hungary, the kings of See also:Sardinia and Spain, the See also:duke of See also:Modena, and the See also:republic of See also:Genoa successively gave their See also:adhesion. The definitive treaty was signed on the 18th of See also:October, Sardinia alone refusing to accede, because the Beaty of See also:Worms was not guaranteed. Of the provisions of the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle the most important were those stipulating for (r) a general restitution of conquests, including Cape See also:Breton to France, See also:Madras to See also:England and the barrier towns to the Dutch; (2) the See also:assignment to See also:Don See also: 337: Comte G. de Garden, Hist. des traites de paix, 1848-1887, 111. p. 373.
3. The congress or See also:conference of Aix-la-Chapelle, held in the autumn of 1818, was primarily a See also:meeting of the four allied powers—Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia— to decide the question of the withdrawal of the See also:army of occupation from France and the nature of the modifications to be introduced in consequence into the relations of the four powers towards each other, and collectively towards France. The congress, of which the first session was held on the 1st of October, was attended by the emperor See also: Of these the most important were the questions as to the methods to be adopted for the suppression of the slave-trade and the See also:Barbary pirates. In neither See also:case was any decision arrived at, owing (I) to the refusal of the other See also:power's to agree with the See also:British proposal for a reciprocal right of See also:search on the high seas; (2) to the objection of Great Britain to inter-See also:national See also:action which would have involved the presence of a See also:Russian See also:squadron in the Mediterranean. In matters of less importance the congress was more unanimous. Thus, on the urgent appeal of the king of See also:Denmark, the king of Sweden (Bernadotte) received a See also:peremptory See also:summons to carry out the terms of the treaty of See also:Kiel; the See also:petition of the elector of See also:Hesse to be recognized as king was unanimously rejected; and measures were taken to redress the grievances of the German mediatized princes. The more important outstanding questions in Germany, e.g. the See also:Baden succession, were after See also:consideration reserved for a further conference to be called at Frankfort. In addition to these a great variety of questions were considered; from that of the treatment of Napoleon at St See also:Helena, to the grievances of the See also:people of See also:Monaco against their prince and the position of the See also:Jews in Austria and Prussia. An See also:attempt made to introduce the subject of the Spanish colonies was defeated by the opposition of Great Britain. Lastly, certain vexatious questions of See also:diplomatic See also:etiquette were settled once for all (see See also:DIPLOMACY). The congress, which See also:broke up at the end of November, is of historical importance mainly as marking the highest point reached in the attempt to govern See also:Europe by an See also:international See also:committee of the powers. The detailed study of its proceedings is highly instructive in revealing the almost insurmountable obstacles to any really effective international See also:system. AIX-See also:LES-BAINS, a town of France, in the department of See also:Savoie, near the See also:Lac du See also:Bourget, and 9 M. by rail N. of See also:Chambery. Pop. (1901) 4741. It is 846 ft. above the level of the See also:sea. It was a celebrated bathing-place, under the name of Aquae Gratianae, in the time of the Romans, and possesses numerous ancient remains. The hot springs, which are of sulphureous quality, and have a temperature of from ro9° to 113° F., are still much frequented, attracting annually many thousands of visitors. They are used for drinking as well as for bathing purposes. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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