The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen, first awarded in 1950, is the oldest and most prestigious award given to individuals or institutions for work done in the service of European unification.
The Prize is named after Charlemagne, the Frankish king, who is considered the first unifier of Europe, who was revered by his contemporaries as the ‘Father of Europe’, and who chose Aachen as his favorite Palatinate at the end of the eighth century; thus, a bridge is built between European past and future.