Why the unfamiliar city of Aachen is the spiritual centre of today’s EU

When Boris Johnson declared that attempts at European unity had failed, he should have looked at the father of modern Europe, the German king Charlemagne, whose Holy Roman Empire lasted for over 1,000 years, writes William Cook

The Aachen cathedral is the last surviving relic of the palace of Charlemagne (Getty)

In the ancient city of Aachen, midway between Brussels and Cologne, there is a building which reveals the medieval origins of the European Union. This cathedral is the last surviving relic of the palace of Charlemagne, founder of the Holy Roman Empire and the father of modern Europe.

From this palace here in Aachen, Charlemagne ruled an empire whose borders were remarkably similar to the boundaries of the original Common Market. Just a coincidence? Perhaps, in part. But it also points to something deeper. At a time when Britain’s relations with the EU have been reduced to unseemly squabbles about state aid and fishing quotas, a visit to Aachen is a timely reminder that the EU isn’t only about red tape. Like Brexit, it’s a concept that’s rooted in a deep sense of shared identity. And unlike Brexit, it has a history that stretches back 1,200 years.

The EU is a relatively modern institution, dating back to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in the sombre aftermath of the Second World War. Out of this groundbreaking partnership, between France, Italy, the Benelux and West Germany, evolved the European Economic Community (EEC) and then the EU. Yet the idea of European unity is nothing new. “Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out and it ends tragically,” declared Boris Johnson during the Brexit campaign four years ago. “The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods.”