Haaren (Aachen)

The formerly independent town of Haaren lies four kilometers north of Aachen, into which it was incorporated in 1972.Haaren lies at the fork of the Wurm, itself a tributary of the Rur, and a smaller stream that shares its name with the community. Two kilometers farther east lies the predominantly rural Verlautenheide community.As of 31 December 2005, the community has 11,822 inhabitants spread over 880 hectares.HistoryDuring the Carolingian dynasty, the region now occupied by Haaren belonged to the Aachen Royal Court. Used as royal hunting grounds, it likely belonged to the Würselen royal estate of Wormsalt. The first written mention to Haaren occurs in 1152, in the medieval Annales Rodenses, which were written at the Rolduc Abbey. Until the 18th century, Haaren belonged (together with Verlautenheide and Würselen) a district of the Free Imperial City of Aachen. The area was occupied by the French in 1792, and again in 1794. Haaren and Verlautenheide were administered independently under the French Mairie system and, beginning in 1801, belonged officially to France after the Treaty of Lunéville. After the Treaty of Paris in 1814, the community became part of Prussia.In the 1920s, Haaren was mainly a working-class suburb for factories on Jülicher Straße (Jülich Street) in northeast Aachen. At that time, Haaren was a stronghold of the Communist Party of Germany.