Aachen
Why was this German town included in the 2020 World Book Encyclopedia?
The first proper entry in the 2020 World Book Encyclopedia is Aachen.
Aachen is a town in Germany that’s had some history–like any other place on the globe.
I was starting to wonder why this town was featured in the encyclopedia, but the answer was towards the end of the entry: Aachen (pronounced AH kuhn)
was the first German city to be taken by the Allies. Much of the city was destroyed during the fighting, but the Rathaus…survived.
So that’s Aachen’s claim to fame: the first German town to be taken by the Allies in Word War II.
Now you (and I) know.
And if you’re wondering what “the Rathaus” is…well, if we Anglicanize the word, we get "rat house” or a house of rats.
Just like the Diet of Worms that Polonius was eaten at, the Rathaus is the city hall–that is to say, a place where politicians meet for official business.
Imagine that: the place where the city council meets is called a rat house.
The more your know….