After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Franks settled in Düren. The Frankish king Pippin der Kleine (Pippin the Short) often visited Düren in the 8th century and held a few important conventions there. Pippin was the father of the famous emperor Charlemagne. The Franks made of Durum a royal palace, from which the name Palatine (Pfalz in German) is derived. Charlemagne sojourned a few times there. The castle was built at the place where, since 1991, the Saint Anne Church is located. Due to the frequent visits of Charlemagne, a few markets sprang up, such as the corn, cattle, wood, chicken, and butter markets, all of which contributed to Düren's development.