18 Facts About Siegen

Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.

In 1224, Siegen is mentioned as a newly built town whose ownership was shared by the Count of Nassau, Heinrich the Rich, and Engelbert II of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne after the latter transferred one half of the ownership to the former.

John VII of Nassau-Siegen built the Unteres Schloss on the site of an old Franciscan Monastery.

In 1632, Nassau-Siegen was conquered by the Swedes, after which his half-brother John Maurice of Nassau-Siegen, the Dutch commander in Brazil, re-introduced Protestantism.

Under Wilhelm Hyacinth of Nassau-Siegen, violence broke out between the two denominational groups.

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Siegen was assigned to the Siegen district, first in the Koblenz region, and as of 1817 in the Arnsberg region within the Prussian Province of Westphalia.

Under Prussian rule, Siegen developed into the South Westphalian centre that it is today.

On 1 March 1923, Siegen was set apart from the district bearing its name, and became a district-free town, while still keeping its function as seat of the district of which it was no longer part, and which was itself merged with Wittgenstein district under district reform in 1975.

Siegen lost its district-free status at this time, becoming part of the new Siegen-Wittgenstein district, the name that the district has borne since 1984.

The battle against determined German forces at Siegen continued through 2 April 1945, until organized resistance was finally overwhelmed by the division on 3 April 1945.

Town of Siegen belonged in the beginning to the Archbishopric of Mainz, or more precisely to its deaconry of Arfeld.

Subsequently, Siegen was a predominantly Protestant town, but not so strongly that the Counterreformation could not gain ground in 1623, with one fifth of the townsfolk and those living in the surrounding area becoming Catholic .

Besides the Roman Catholic Church, Siegen has a Greek Orthodox parish and a Romanian Orthodox parish.

Two churches in downtown Siegen are to be brought to the visitor's attention: The Martinikirche dating from the 11th century and the Nikolaikirche at the marketplace with its unusual eight-sided shape and its golden Kronchen – the city's landmark – on the church tower, which is a prominent feature of Siegen's skyline .

Main centre of art in Siegen are the Museum for Contemporary Art and the Haus Seel – city gallery.

Rubens Prize of the City of Siegen, founded in 1955, is awarded every five years to a painter or graphic artist whose life's work has been groundbreaking on the European stage.

Home to the Siegen State Court, a local court and a labour court, the city is an important court centre.

Siegen has various general-education and professional schools, and the Siegerlandkolleg.