Aachen success stories
Many Öchers have made a name for themselves in the world from the imperial city. Who knows, maybe the world is waiting for you too ...
Julien Bam - Creativity has a name
Julien Bam from Aachen is one of the most successful and best-known Youtubers in Germany. With a creative mix of dance, comedy and entertainment, he inspires millions of subscribers on his channel.
Shawn Bu - The force is with him
Shawn Bu is a director, cinematographer and editor. In 2016 he gained international attention with his bachelor thesis at the FH Aachen "Darth Maul - Apprentice". In 2017, Shawn founded Raw Mind Pictures GmbH together with his brother Julien.
Khalid Bounouar - rebellious comedy
Comedian, presenter, actor, dubbing artist: Khalid Bounouar is an all-round talent. Bounouar's trademark is a bow tie, which he always uses in his numerous appearances in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Alessio Avellan Borgmeyer - Accompanying the students
Whether videos, photos or texts, pretty much anything can be shared on Jodel. Alessio Borgmeyer, founder and Managing Director of Jodel Venture GmbH, offers students a location-based communication platform with his app. The clever mind behind the app studied at RWTH Aachen University.
Danger Dan and Panik Panzer: political rap with Austrian roots
In their socially critical raps, they deal with right-wing extremism and chauvinism, among other things. The music video for the single "Das ist alles von der Kunstfreiheit gedeckt", which Danger Dan released on March 26, 2021, was filmed at the Stadttheater Aachen.
David Garrett - pop star with violin
David Garrett was regarded as a musical prodigy from an early age. The Aachen native received his first recording contract at the age of 12. After studying at the renowned Juilliard School in New York, he succeeded in inspiring an audience of millions worldwide by blending rock and classical music.
Charlemagne - There is an emperor in every Aachener
The history of the city cannot be told without him: Emperor Karl. The fountain statue on the market square commemorates the "Father of Europe". History fans take note: In the "Centre Charlemagne" museum at Katschhof, you can experience the history of Aachen from antiquity to the present day.
Christoph Ingenhoven - A self-built career, brick by brick
Star architect Christoph Ingenhoven studied architecture at RWTH Aachen University. In 1985, he founded "ingenhoven architects", which realizes projects from Osaka to Zurich. The head office is located in Düsseldorf's Medienhafen.
Hugo Junkers - "Working on the future"
Hugo Junkers came to Aachen in 1881 to study mechanical engineering and became an important aeronautical engineer here. He lived in Frankenberg Castle, where he tested model airplanes in a huge wind tunnel. In the 1920s, he had the vision of using airplanes not only for competitions and wars, but also for the civilian transportation of people and goods.
Armin Laschet - Politics made in Aachen
The 11th Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia is an Öcher! Born, raised and still living in Burtscheid, the trained journalist's political career began in 1981: in 1989, he became the youngest councillor to date to join Aachen City Council for the CDU, in 1999 he was elected MEP and was Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia until the fall of 2021.
Theodore von Kármán - A life for aerodynamics
The name Kármán is omnipresent in Aachen: the now closed Kármán Auditorium, Kármán Street and the university newspaper Kármán are all named after the physicist and aeronautical engineer who headed today's Institute of General Mechanics from 1913 to 1926.
Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim - Science for all
Before Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim took off as a science journalist, presenter and author, she worked as a doctoral student in chemistry at RWTH Aachen University. With her first non-fiction book "Komisch, alles chemisch!", Nguyen-Kim landed on the Spiegel bestseller list in 2019. She has been presenting "Quarks und Co" alongside Ralph Caspers since May 2018. In May 2021, she received a Grimme Award for "Special Journalistic Achievement".
Ildikó von Kürthy - author, journalist, all-round talent
Ildikó von Kürthy was born in Aachen in 1968. She works as a journalist and is a columnist for the magazine "Brigitte". Her bestsellers have sold more than six million copies and have been translated into 21 languages. The former "Stern" editor specializes in clever, funny and warm-hearted entertainment.
Jürgen von der Lippe - His heart is still attached to his homeland
Although he has made a great career in television, the entertainer is always drawn back to his beloved home town. His father worked as a bartender in a striptease bar. According to von der Lippe, "secular and clerical dignitaries used to come and go" there.
Irene and Peter Ludwig - patrons of modern art
Throughout their lives, Peter and Irene Ludwig have amassed an incomparable collection of outstanding works of art. Donations and permanent loans from their collection are now housed in more than 20 museums worldwide. The home of this unique collection, however, is the Ludwig Forum in Aachen, where the industrialist couple lived and from where they managed one of the largest chocolate and confectionery productions in the former Federal Republic of Germany.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe - Less is more
Born in Aachen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is one of the most important architects of modernism. As a representative of the Bauhaus style and with his maxim "less is more", he has shaped the signature of numerous designers and architects to this day.
Rebecca Mir - The model from Monschau
Rebecca Mir came second in Germany's best-known casting show for young models, "Germany's next Topmodel" with Heidi Klum. She walked the catwalks at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Berlin and New York Fashion Week. Since 2012, she has been in front of the camera as a presenter alongside Daniel Aminati (who is also from Aachen, by the way) for the ProSieben magazine "taff".
MoTrip - From Blücherplatz to the German charts
After fleeing Lebanon, Aachen became the adopted home of rapper MoTrip. Over the years, he has attracted the attention of many German musicians and collaborated with Kool Savas, Samy Deluxe, Sido and Bushido, among others. MoTrip's biggest success to date was the single "So wie du bist", which reached number 3 in the German singles charts in 2015.
Prof. Dr. Britta Nestler - The simulated solution
Professor Dr. Britta Nestler is an alumna of RWTH in the fields of mathematics and physics. As head of the Institute for Computational Engineering at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, she develops simulation techniques to optimize production technology concepts.
Jesco von Puttkamer - From Aachen into space
The moon landing in 1969 was made possible by the calculations of a NASA team. Part of this team was a graduate engineer from Aachen: Jesco von Puttkamer studied mechanical engineering at RWTH. After the successful Apollo mission, he continued to work at NASA and was involved in the development of the space shuttle and the ISS.
Anne Reidt - Cultural journalism from the capital
Anne Reidt has been working as a journalist since 1988. After many years as a reporter and editor for ZDF, she became head of the "Culture" editorial team in Berlin in April 2017. Her responsibilities include the cultural journalism formats "aspekte", "Kulturzeit", Literarisches Quartett" and "Buchzeit", as well as cultural, pop culture and music events such as the Berlinale.
Paul Julius Reuter - mouthpiece for the world
In 1850, Paul Julius Reuter had carrier pigeons fly from the roof of his house at Pontstrasse 117 to receive and send news from Europe. On this basis, he founded the internationally successful news agency Reuters.
Hans Wilhelm Schlegel - From the lecture hall to outer space
Hans Wilhelm Schlegel studied physics at RWTH Aachen University. When the German Aerospace Research and Testing Institute was looking for astronauts, Hans Schlegel was selected and flew into space on board the space shuttle Columbia in 1993. In 2008, he took part in a space shuttle mission to the ISS.
Ulla Schmidt - Aachen at heart
Teacher, Federal Minister of Health, Vice President of the German Bundestag: Ulla Schmidt has experienced a lot and made a political impact. She joined the SPD in 1983 to bring social issues to the fore. After "marriage for all", she went on to campaign for "voting rights for all" and educational equality.
Gert Scobel - Philosophy for all situations
Born in Aachen, Gert Scobel began his journalistic career in 1985. Since then, he has worked as a presenter for 3sat, WDR and ARD. His 3sat program "Scobel" is considered the only science talk show on German television.
Senor Schnu - a laughing ice cream travels around the world
The smiling ice cream with the moustache is the trademark of Aachen street artist Senor Schnu. Around 200,000 stickers of the cool refreshment can still be found on many corners of the city. He now lives in Berlin and exhibits all over the world.
Hermann Tilke - On the home straight
Hermann Tilke is the world's number one when it comes to building Formula 1 racetracks. Before his fast-paced career, he studied civil engineering at Aachen University of Applied Sciences. Today, Tilke has reached the Olympus of motorsport: he builds circuits in Malaysia, China, South Korea, Europe and the USA.
Ranga Yogeshwar - Quarks and stuff...
Ranga Yogeshwar's RWTH degree in experimental physics laid the foundation for a scientific and media career. After working at the Swiss Institute for Nuclear Research, CERN and the Jülich Research Center, Yogeshwar inspired TV audiences for the natural sciences with his magazine show "Quarks & Co.
Rezo - Modern opinion leader
No matter what the web video producer, podcaster and columnist Rezo has to say: His opinion is heard. Politics and environmental protection are just two of the many topics that the Aachen-based internet star regularly addresses in his videos and his ZEIT column. His most-clicked video, which sparked a public debate, has over 18 million clicks to date.