Aachen (district)
Aachen | |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Adm. region | Cologne |
| Capital | Aachen |
| Government | |
| • District admin. | Tim Grüttemeier (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 707.15 km2 (273.03 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2023) | |
• Total | 582,463 |
| • Density | 820/km2 (2,100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Vehicle registration | AC, MON |
| Website | www.staedteregion-aachen.de |
The district of Aachen (German: Städteregion Aachen) is a district in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Heinsberg, Düren, Euskirchen, and also the Netherlands province of Limburg and the Belgian province of Liège. Its administrative body is the Städteregionsparlament ("regional parliament"), headed by the Städteregionspräsident or "region president" (Tim Grüttemeier (CDU) since 2019).
As of 21 October 2009, the Städteregion Aachen (literally: "cities region" Aachen) was formed from the former district Aachen (Kreis Aachen) and the city of Aachen. This is the first Städteregion that was formed in North Rhine-Westphalia. Its status is similar to that of the district Hanover (Region Hannover) in Lower Saxony, in that the powers of the city of Aachen are slightly less than those of a district-free city (Kreisfreie Stadt).