1968 1978 STADT SIEGEN GERMANY COIN SIEGERLAND HALL KÖSTER BEER GASTRONOMY TOKEN

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

It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region. The university town (18.600 students in the 2013–2014 winter semester) is the district seat, and is ranked as a "higher centre" in the South Westphalian urban agglomeration.

In 1975, in the process of municipal reforms and amalgamations, Siegen's population exceeded the 100,000 mark.

Location
The city of Siegen lies in the basin of the upper reaches of the river Sieg. From there, lateral valleys branch off in many directions. The heights of the surrounding mountains, wherever they are not actually settled, are covered in coppice. To the north lies the Sauerland, to the northwest the Rothaargebirge and to the southwest the Westerwald.

The nearest cities to Siegen, taking into account average travelling distances, are Hagen to the north (83 km), Frankfurt am Main to the southeast (125 km), Koblenz to the southwest (105 km) and Cologne to the west (93 km).

As the crow flies the distances to these places are, however, 65 km (40 mi) (Hagen), 95 km (59 mi) (Frankfurt), 65 km (40 mi) (Koblenz) and 75 km (47 mi) (Cologne).

The city lies on the German-Dutch holiday road called the Orange Route, joining towns, cities and regions associated with the House of Orange.

The name Siegen comes from the possibly Celtic river name Sieg. It is, however, unclear whether there is any relation between this name and the Celtic-Germanic Sicambri (Ger. Sugambrer) people, who in pre-Christian times lived in parts of North Rhine-Westphalia. The first documentary mention of the place called Sigena dates from 1079. The city's history is markedly shaped by mining, which locally began as far back as La Tène times. Bearing witness to this longtime industry are the many mines that can be found within city limits.

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. Moreover, there is proof that the Oberes Schloss ("upper stately home") was already standing at this time. On 19 October 1303, the town was granted Soester Stadtrecht, or Soest town rights. The town remained under the two overlords' joint ownership until 1 February 1381, only then passing fully into Nassau hands.

In the 16th century, the town of Siegen bore a formidable defensive look. It was surrounded by mighty walls with 16 towers and three town gates, and was home to a great castle. The town was stricken several times by townwide fires. Documents record such fires in 1592, and from 10 to 20 April 1695.

In 1536, in the buildings that had once housed a Franciscan Monastery, Heinrich the Rich built a "paedagogium", out of which later grew today's Gymnasium at Siegen's Löhrtor (gate). Johann VII of Nassau-Siegen ("Johann the Intermediary") built in 1616 a knightly war school in the still standing old armoury on Burgstraße. He also built on the site of an old Franciscan Monastery the Unteres Schloss ("lower stately home"). His son Johann VIII ("The Younger") returned in 1612 to the Roman Catholic Church, and also wanted to use force to make the towsfolk, too, convert back to Roman Catholicism. John Maurice of Nassau, the Dutch commander in Brazil, unseated him, but John Maurice's leadership served in 1650–1651 to bring about a split in the Siegerland along denominational lines.

Under Wilhelm Hyacinth of Nassau-Siegen, violence broke out between the two denominational groups. When on 29 March 1707 townsman Friedrich Flender was killed, Wilhelm Hyacinth was himself unseated and furthermore driven out of the town. Wilhelm Hyacinth was the last in the line of Nassau-Siegen's Catholic rulers, dying in 1743. Already in 1734, though, the Reformed line had died out, too, with Friedrich Wilhelm's death, leading Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor to transfer power in the territory to the Prince of Orange and the Prince of Nassau-Diez. Under their leadership, mining, the main source of wealth, blossomed, along with agriculture and silviculture. When Prince William of Orange refused to join the Confederation of the Rhine, founded by Napoleon, he found himself unseated by the French leader and the Siegerland passed to the Grand Duchy of Berg. After Napoleon's downfall in 1813, however, William I regained his former German inheritances, but in 1815 he ceded them to the Kingdom of Prussia for the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. 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 also 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.

During World War II, Siegen was repeatedly bombed by the Allies owing to a crucial railroad that crossed through the town. On 1 April 1945, the US 8th Infantry Division began the Allied ground assault against Siegen and the dominating military-significant high ground north of the river. 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.

Coat of arms
Siegen's civic coat of arms might be described thus: Argent a town wall embattled gules with an open gateway argent, therein in an inescutcheon azure a lion rampant Or armed and langued gules, issuant from the wall a bishop in robe and mitre azure (trimmed in argent) holding in his hand dexter a crozier argent with crook Or sinister, in his hand sinister, upraised, an open book argent with pages edged gules.

The bishop in the city's arms is the Bishop of Cologne. The wall symbolizes the city itself, and the inescutcheon in the gateway shows the Lion of Nassau in blue and gold (or yellow), which are Nassau's colours. The arms are based on the oldest known town seal, from 1248. The inescutcheon once also had gold billets (upright rectangles) around the lion, but these do not appear in what became the town's (and later city's) coat of arms in 1875.

Regular events
Early in the year: SILA (Siegerlandausstellung – Siegerland Exhibition), even-numbered years only
March to November, first Saturday in each month: Flea market in Siegen-Geisweid (since 1970), no new goods
June to August: "Mittwochs in" different bands every Wednesday in Siegen-Weidenau
June: Johannimarkt, a fair held for some 400 years
June/July: Siegener Sommerfestival, plays, cabaret, theatre, music and cinema since about 1990. (In 2006, instead of the traditional summer festival, a World Cup festival was held)
July: Stadtfest (City Festival), even-numbered years only
July: Rubensfest, odd-numbered years only
August: Siegen Open-Air Cinema
August: Christopher Street Day (CSD), since 2000
August: Siegtal-Pur All streets only opened for bikes (the HTS (local Motorway) too)
Summer: Street Festival at the Corn Market
October: 2nd Sunday: Bürgerfest Geisweid
November: Geisweider Adventsmarkt, since about 1985
December: Christmas market, since about 1980

Culinary specialities
Riewekooche (Reibekuchen – a bread made with grated potatoes)
Siegerländer Krüstchen (Breaded boneless pork chop on toast and egg sunny side up on top)
Schanzenbrot (sourdough rye bread)
Krebelcher or Krebbelchen
Groffbroat
Siegerländer Debbekooche
Siegerländer Bäckel
Duffelnsobbe (potato soup)
Grenge (cracknel)
Grinnchesbroare (rabbit roast)
Kiernmelchsoabbe (buttermilk soup)
Suerambe (sorrel)
Siegerländer Hirtentopf
Aejjerkaes (egg cheese)
Schampe (beef paunch in sauce)

Tales and legends in Siegen
The Dilldappe is an old mythical creature from the Siegerland. It lives mainly in the Siegerland Hauberg (coöperatively managed woodlots). Early in the 1980s, the writer and cartoonist Matthias Kringe first published a calendar about the creature, written in Siegerländer Platt, the local dialect of German.

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The Siegerland is a region of Germany covering the old district of Siegen (now part of the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in North Rhine-Westphalia) and the upper part of the district of Altenkirchen, belonging to the Rhineland-Palatinate adjoining it to the west.

Geologically, the Siegerland belongs to the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge (Rhenish Slate Mountains). The point of highest elevation is the Riemen, at 678 metres above sea level.

The region around the city of Siegen is centered in the middle of Germany. It includes the municipalities of Hilchenbach, Netphen, Kreuztal, Freudenberg and Siegen, and the communities of Wilnsdorf, Burbach and Neunkirchen, all in North Rhine-Westphalia, and in the Rhineland-Palatinate the municipalities of Kirchen, Herdorf and Betzdorf, with the community of Daaden. The population is approximately 300,000.

Iron mining and working began in Siegerland in 600 BC (cf the blast furnace at Wilnsdorf, dated to 500 BC) and continued until 1965, when the closing of Grube Georg (Georg Pit) in Willroth on March 29 ended over 2,500 years of mining. Characteristic of the area are the coppices (Hauberge) for the production of wood for charcoal burning.

The area now promotes its tourism industry and its capacities as a source of minerals and fossils. There is also a strong metal working industry today.

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Grebbestad Bryggeri is a brewery in the town Grebbestad on the Swedish west coast. It is a relatively small and local brewery producing their products mainly for the use of the local county Bohuslän. Their main production are in two lager beers called Koster and Granit, but other brews occur as well.

Beers, the Grebbestad brand
Koster is a lager beer with 3,5% alcohol and is available for purchase mostly in local supermarkets. The name comes from the local islands of Koster.

Granit (Swedish for Granite) is a lager beer . It is sold in local supermarkets at 3,5% alcohol and at 4,8% at Systembolaget. The name is inspired by the cliffs of Bohuslän, where Grebbestad lies, which are made of granite. For Christmas a special Christmas beer is made, just like Swedish brewer tradition says. The beer is like most other Swedish Christmas brews, a porter-like dark lager.

Beers produced for others
Grebbestad produces some beers on behalf of the Gothenburg brewery Göteborgs Nya Bryggeri.

Grebbestad also produces the beer Alberget 4A on behalf of Djurgårdshjälpen. This beer is not part of the Grebbestad brand but is sold to support the sports club Djurgårdens IF.