Press releases

During the summer vacation from July 21 to August 28, the Aachen Museum Service is offering a total of 13 workshops for children and young people with a thirst for knowledge. The offers range from insights into Aachen's world of legends in the Centre Charlemagne to the color laboratory "Floating Colours" in the Ludwig Forum for International Art. Anyone between the ages of 6 and 16 who is interested in history, art and nature, likes to be creative and wants to have fun during the vacations will find what they are looking for in the varied range of workshops.

"During the summer vacations, children and young people can travel to exciting worlds in our museums. Once again, it's a varied program for everyone who enjoys researching, designing and being creative. What I particularly like about the format of the summer holiday offers is that it is inexpensive and therefore family-friendly," emphasizes Irit Tirtey, Managing Director of the City of Aachen's cultural department. The one-day workshops cost 5 euros, multi-day workshops 10 euros. Water and fruit are included.

Pia vom Dorp, Head of the Museum Service of the City of Aachen, gives an insight into the offer: "The workshops take participants from the fountains of the city center to eventful soundscapes, a ceramics course and exciting archaeological excavations."

STAWAG has been supporting the summer holiday activities at the Route Charlemagne and the Ludwig Forum Aachen for many years now. "As a local water service provider, we naturally think the workshop 'Wet and wetter - stories about water' is great, as it sensitizes children to the topic of water and its origins. Aachen's water is visible to everyone in the fountains in the city center - the streams, on the other hand, are not so easy to find. There are also many sagas and legends about water, and at the end, works of art are created from clay and acrylic paint," explains Kirsten Haacke from STAWAG.

Overview of the programs:
Summer Vacation Programs at Museums
2026 Knowledge Reporters on the Route Charlemagne / sponsored by
STAWAG Vacation workshops for children and teens ages 7–16

Information and registration: Museum
Services
Aachenmuseumsdienst@mail.aachen.de
+49 241
432-4998 Tue–Fri, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

Summer vacation courses at the Centre Charlemagne

C1: Spooky Tales from Klappergasse for
children ages 7–12 Tue
, July 21 – Thu, July 23, 2026 / 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. / three-day workshop
Centre Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, 52064 Aachen

An old Aachen legend tells of eerie skeletons rushing through Klappergasse, of Emperor Charlemagne, a helpful angel, and a grand festival in the city. In this workshop, we’ll create characters and appropriate backdrops for this exciting story and act it out together.
With Johanna Malich and Ute Küttner.
Cost: €10

C2: Wet and Wetter – Stories About Water
for Children Ages 7–11Tue
, July 28 – Thu, July 30, 2026 / 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. / Three-day workshopCentre
Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, 52064 Aachen

In the fountains of downtown Aachen, the city’s water is visible to everyone—but the streams aren’t so easy to find. Many myths and legends also revolve around water. In the exhibition and on excursions around the museum, you can learn and see a lot about this, and in the workshop, you can create or print artwork using clay and acrylic paint.
With Pia Güntner and Uta
Hellendoorn-Werths Cost: €10

C3: Karl and the ForestFor
children ages 7–11Tue
, Aug. 4 – Thu, Aug. 6, 2026 / 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. / three-day workshopCentre
Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, 52064 Aachen

The forest played an important role in the life of Charlemagne. According to the legend of Aachen’s founding, Charlemagne came across a hot spring while hunting in the Aachen Forest. He immediately recognized its healing properties and subsequently had the foundations for the palace laid there. Of course, this is just a legend… But we do know that Charlemagne issued clear rules for the use of the forest. For example, forests were to be cleared only where farming was profitable, and the forest was not to be overexploited—in other words, interventions were to be carried out with care. Pretty smart! The forest was also important for the supply of food and raw materials. In the workshop, you can learn a lot about this and create things with natural materials in the workshop.
With Pia Güntner and Uta
Hellendoorn-Werths Cost: €10

C4: Parchment and Quill – History
Workshop for Children and Teens Ages
12–16 Tue, Aug. 11 – Thu, August 13, 2026 / 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. / three-day workshop
Centre Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, 52064 Aachen

Today, we take it for granted that everyone can read and write. We can communicate in the blink of an eye via email and messaging, and we can read books online. But what was it like in the time of Charlemagne? What did people read, who could even write, and how was writing done? In this workshop, you’ll learn a lot about medieval texts and the stories they tell. You can try your hand at writing with a quill and ink.
With Nikoalos Minasidis Cost
: €10

C5: Secrets from the Ground – Archaeology
Workshop for Children and Teens Ages
8–14 Tue, Aug. 18 – Thu, August 20, 2026 / 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. / three-day workshop
Centre Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, 52064 Aachen

Aachen is an ancient city, and time and again, the city’s archaeologists uncover new pieces of the past during their excavations. But what exactly do archaeologists do, and why are their discoveries often significant? In the History Lab, you can learn a lot about this and get a feel for scientific research methods. This includes dating methods such as dating using soil layers, wood, or ceramics. You can try out archaeological tools like a grapple, a probe, or a microscope for yourself.
With Julia-Anna Preisler and Lara Witt Cost
: €10

C6: Medieval Workshop
for Children Ages 7–12 Tue
, August 25 / 10 a.m.–1 p.m. / One-day workshop
Centre Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, 52064 Aachen

What was life like in Aachen during the Middle Ages? Where did the emperor live? Was his palace heated? Where did he bathe? What did the princesses do all day? And what did they wear? In our exhibition and in the History Lab, you can learn all about it, and in the museum workshop, you can create a small paper theater with movable figures.
With Sabine Blazy Cost
: €5

C7: Roman Games Workshop
for children ages 7–12Wed
, August 26 / 10 a.m.–1 p.m. / one-day workshopCentre
Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, 52064 Aachen

Long before Emperor Charlemagne, the Romans built a city in Aachen and constructed facilities such as bathhouses. How did the Romans live here? What did they do all day? What games did they play? What do we know about this today? In the exhibition, you can learn a lot about it, and in the museum workshop, you can design your very own Roman game.
With Sabine Blazy Cost
: €5

C8:
Forgers’ Workshop for children ages 7–12Thu
, August 27, 2026 / 10 a.m.–1 p.m. / one-day workshopCentre
Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, 52064 Aachen

There’s a lot of talk about counterfeits these days. But “fakes” are nothing new—people have probably been making them for as long as anyone can remember. At the museum, you can view paintings, coins, and jewelry, and in the museum workshop, you can “forge” your own certificate or picture, for example.
With Sabine Blazy
Cost: €5

C9: Archaeology Workshop
for Children Ages 7–12Fri
, August 28, 2026 / 10 a.m.–1 p.m. / One-day workshopCentre
Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, 52064 Aachen

Aachen is an ancient city, and time and again, the city’s archaeologists uncover new pieces of the past during their excavations. What tools do they use? How do they determine if a find is old? And who actually owns the artifacts? In the History Lab, you can learn a lot about this, and in the museum workshop, you can create your own artifact.
With Sabine Blazy Cost
: €5

Summer vacation courses at the Ludwig Forum Aachen

L1: Sounds Good
—for children and teens ages 10 to 14Wed
, July 22 – Fri, July 24, 2026 / 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. / three-day
workshopLudwig Forum for International Art, Jülicher Straße 97–109, 52070 Aachen

Sound artist and composer Christina Kubisch makes hidden sounds audible. With special headphones, for example, you can hear electricity and background noise. In this workshop, you’ll discover what sounds can be coaxed out of old electronic waste. You can experiment with these sounds, compose music, and create your own unique soundscapes. Cameras, video cameras, iPads, and a wide variety of materials will be available to help you add a visual element to your composition. If you’d like, feel free to bring your own battery-powered devices such as radios, clock radios, cassette recorders, etc. With Maurice Graf, artist and photographer
Cost: €10

L2: Mysterious Treasure Animals
for children ages 6 to 10Thu
, July 30 – Fri, July 31, 2026, and Thu, Aug. 6, 2026 / 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. / three-day
workshopLudwig Forum for International Art, Jülicher Straße 97-109, 52070 Aachen

Animals can be very mysterious. The animals created in the ceramics class are certainly full of secrets: inspired by the animal kingdom, clay sculptures are shaped and later hollowed out. By cutting the piece into two parts that fit perfectly together, your animal becomes a bowl with a lid, serving as a hiding place for a small treasure. The sculptures will be glazed during the third session and will be ready for pickup after firing.
With Barbara Brouwers, artist
Cost: €10

L3: Hüttisti for
children and teens ages 10 to 14Wed
, Aug. 12 – Fri, Aug. 14, 2026 / 10 a.m.–3 p.m. / three-day
workshopLudwig Forum for International Art, Jülicher Straße 97–109, 52070 Aachen

In the Ludwig Forum’s newly equipped woodshop, we drill, saw, glue, and assemble: as hut-builders, we create intricate miniature models. We imagine who might live in our huts and how we could design the living spaces for these tiny beings and creatures. Small, mysterious worlds take shape from sheet metal and natural materials like branches and wood.
With Céline Leuchter, scenographer, and Elli Ott, artist and boat builder
. Cost: €10

L4: Floating Colors
for children ages 6 to
10Thu, Aug. 27 – Fri, Aug. 28, 2026 / 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. / two-day
workshopLudwig Forum for International Art, Jülicher Straße 97–109, 52070 Aachen

When colors flow, things get colorful. In the color lab, we mix and experiment—creating an endless variety of colors from red, blue, and yellow. You’ll discover how the same colors appear differently on various materials, how color gradients and marbling effects are created, and how colors work.
Petra Herzog, ArtistCost
: €10

We would like to thank STAWAG for their support.