Frankenberg Castle (Aachen)

Burg Frankenberg in Aachen's Forst district is a 12th-century lowland castle whose name comes from the word Franke, originally meaning a free, independent castle. It soon passed as a fief to the Counts of Juelich and later the Dukes of Juelich, Cleves and Berg. What survives today is a two-storey hipped-roof manor house in a rectangular moat, looking more like a small palace than a fortress. Since 1986 the borough has run a local history museum here, focused on the Frankenberger Viertel quarter. The surrounding castle park is open to the public and a popular Sunday walking spot for families.