Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
7 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
8 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
9 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
10 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Aachen Printen Museum
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Printen Museum

This bakery and museum offers tours of the tastes and mythology of Aachen's signature spice biscuit—just don't ask for the recipe.

Aachen, Germany

Added By
Reina Gattuso
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Turku Gingerbread/Used with permission
  Turku Gingerbread/Used with permission
  Turku Gingerbread/Used with permission
The bakery’s kitchen.   Marion Schenk/Used with permission
Klein’s many different types of printen.   Sandra/Used with permission
  Marion Schenk/Used with permission
  Turku Gingerbread/Used with permission
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The mythology around printen cookies swirls as thick as the burst of warm, aromatic air that hits you when you open a bakery door in winter. And no bakery is as spiced with history, and delicious cookie scent, as the Klein Printen Bakery. Located in central Aachen, the German city whose Protected Designation of Origin status makes it the only place where the cookie can be produced, the working bakery offers a cornucopia of the beet syrup–sweetened cookies, in spice, chocolate, and nut varieties. It also offers group tours through the baking process and the biscuit's history.

The museum dates the origin of the cookies to 15th-century Belgium, with the recipe eventually traveling to Aachen. A more creative origin story starts with fire—hellfire, to be precise. In the 17th century, the city of Aachen endured a horrible fire. In the aftermath, impoverished citizens searched for a source of revenue. Recalling the long-forgotten cookie recipe of the great Emperor Karl (or Charlemagne), they decided to revitalize the tradition to bring glory and revenue to the city. Because the emperor had taken his secret recipe to his grave, however, the forgotten concoction had to be recovered with the assistance of the devil himself, who helped a lowly baker's apprentice enter Karl's tomb to contact him. When the emperor's spirit heard of the city's plight, he gladly ceded his famous recipe, and the town began to crank out cookies. When the devil came around looking for payment, he couldn't resist gobbling down a whole baking sheet of printen—including the tray. Chastised by a stomachache, he slipped back to hell, with no souls but certainly indigestion.  

Originally, the spiced cookies—similar in flavor and texture to American gingerbread, but crunchier—were sweetened with honey, for a mild, aromatic taste. In the early 1800s, however, Napoleon's trade blockade meant that Aachen was cut off from imported honey and cane sugar. Bakers turned to local beets as a substitute for sugar and syrup, and the signature modern printen flavor was born. Because of the cookie's hard texture, Aachen's home-bakers traditionally stored them in a closed box right after baking, or alongside cut apples and fresh bread, so the condensation would soften them up. While the classic recipe is crisp, there are now softer varieties as well.

Today, the family-owned Klein bakery continues a tradition inspired by Napoleon and the devil himself. Tourists can taste-test the bakery's rainbow of flavors, see antique cookie presses for stamping the cookies with decorative images, and grab a bag of the spiced or chocolate variety. Just don't ask for the secret recipe. Emperor Karl took it to the grave, and so will Klein's bakers—unless you call on the intercession of the devil himself.

Related Tags

Cookies Gingerbread Spices Sugar Food Museums Baking Bakery Museums

Know Before You Go

Tours are available only by appointment for groups of 20 people or more. Family reunion, anyone?

Community Contributors

Added By

Reina Gattuso

Edited By

dgrebe

  • dgrebe

Published

January 8, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/food/the-plate/2015/04/24/dentists-love-to-hate-these-ancient-german-spice-cookies/
  • https://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/food-drink/traditional-german-cuisine/aachen-printen.html
  • http://onfoodandwine.com/2005/10/05/a-gift-from-germany/
Printen Museum
Franzstraße 91
Aachen, 52064
Germany
50.76938, 6.086604
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Toaster

Aachen, Germany

miles away

Kleine Wache

Aachen, Germany

miles away

Labyrint Drielandenpunt

Vaals, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Aachen

Aachen

Germany

Places 3
Stories 2

Nearby Places

The Toaster

Aachen, Germany

miles away

Kleine Wache

Aachen, Germany

miles away

Labyrint Drielandenpunt

Vaals, Netherlands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Aachen

Aachen

Germany

Places 3
Stories 2

Related Stories and Lists

What Is Gingerbread? The Answer Is Complicated

food

By Anne Ewbank

A Global Tour of Bakeries With Fascinating Histories

List

By Diana Hubbell

German Lebkuchen Are a Labor of Love With a Centuries-Old History

food

By Diana Hubbell

The Ultimate Guide to the World's Food Museums

List

By Sam O'Brien

Related Places

  • The bakery-museum’s cookies.

    Radovljica, Slovenia

    Lečtarski Museum

    Nibble as you learn about Slovenia's longstanding tradition of making beautiful honey cookies.

  • Tula, Russia

    Tula Pryanik Museum

    A tea party concludes each visit to this Russian spice cookie sanctum.

  • Gingerbread-making tools on display inside Pfefferkuchenmuseum Pulsnitz.

    Pulsnitz, Germany

    Pfefferkuchenmuseum Pulsnitz

    An aromatic exploration of the rich history and flavors of this German town's famous gingerbread.

  • The end results of the museum’s workshop.

    Krakow, Poland

    The Living Obwarzanek Museum (Żywe Muzeum Obwarzanka)

    Learn the fine art of making a centuries-old treat at this hands-on food museum.

  • Toluca, Mexico

    Museo del Alfeñique

    This museum tells the history of Day of the Dead sugar sculptures.

  • Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Kennedy Biscuit Lofts

    Whimsical cookie-themed plaques mark the birthplace of the Fig Newton.

  • Seia, Portugal

    Museu do Pão

    Come for the bread-themed puppet show, stay for the buffet.

  • Toronto, Ontario

    Redpath Sugar Refinery Museum

    In the back of a bustling factory lurks a quiet museum honoring the history of Canadian sugar manufacturing.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.