Siegen facts for kids
| Siegen | |
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| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Arnsberg |
| District | Siegen-Wittgenstein |
| Mayor | Steffen Mues (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 114.67 km2 (44.27 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 290 m (951 ft) |
| Population | 104,067 (30 June 2009) |
| - Density | 908 /km2 (2,351 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | SI |
| Postal codes | 57072–57080 |
| Area code | 0271 |
| Website | www.siegen.de |
| Location of the town of Siegen within Siegen-Wittgenstein district | |
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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 (nearly 20000 students in the 2018–2019 winter semester) is the district seat, and is ranked as a "higher centre" in the South Westphalian urban agglomeration.
In 1975, municipal reforms and amalgamations lifted Siegen's population above the 100,000 mark.
Contents
Geography
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 (52 mi), Frankfurt am Main to the southeast 125 km (78 mi), Koblenz to the southwest 105 km (65 mi) and Cologne to the west 93 km (58 mi).
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.
City area
The city's total land area is roughly 115 km2 (44 sq mi). Its greatest east-west span is about 12 km (7 mi), and its greatest north-south span is about 12 km (7 mi). City limits are 48 km (30 mi) long. Siegen lies at a median elevation of 290 m (951 ft) above sea level. The city's greatest elevation is the peak of the Pfannenberg at 499 m (1,637 ft) above sea level at southern city limits. Siegen's lowest point is 215 m (705 ft) above sea level at Niederschelden at southwestern city limits, which there also forms the state boundary with Rhineland-Palatinate. Roughly 60% of the city's land is wooded, making Siegen one of Germany's greenest cities.
The city area is divided into six zones, called Bezirke in German and comparable to boroughs in some cities, which themselves are further divided into various communities (Ortsteile and Stadtteile). Each "borough" has a borough board consisting of 15 voting and 15 non-voting members who are appointed by city council with regard to each party's share of the vote in the municipal elections in the borough in question. The borough boards decide on matters particular to their respective boroughs. These matters are laid down in Siegen's city charter.
Siegen's six boroughs and communities belonging to each
- District I (Geisweid): Birlenbach, Meiswinkel, Langenholdinghausen, Geisweid, Dillnhütten, Sohlbach, Buchen, Niedersetzen, Obersetzen
- District II (Weidenau):
- District III (Ost): Kaan-Marienborn, parts of Alt-Siegen (Giersberg), Bürbach, Volnsberg, Breitenbach, Feuersbach
- District IV (Mitte): Alt-Siegen (parts not belonging to borough III or V)
- District V (West): Seelbach, Trupbach and parts of Alt-Siegen (Wellersberg, Fischbacherberg, Achenbach, Rothenberg)
- District VI (Süd): Oberschelden, Gosenbach, Niederschelden, Eiserfeld, Eisern
Along with the boroughs and communities into which the city is divided, as mandated by law, there are also further subdivisions within the communities, each with its own name, but none with distinctly clear borders. They are called Quartiere, which can be rendered as "quarters" or "neighbourhoods". Examples of these include the Unterstadt, the Oberstadt, Hammerhütte, Lindenberg, Charlottental, Haardter Berg (with the university) and the Alte Dreisbach. Some neighbourhoods even straddle community boundaries, like Sieghütte, parts of which can be found in both Siegen-Mitte and Weidenau. Moreover, some neighbourhoods even overlap each other. Unlike the boroughs (Bezirke) or communities (Ortsteile and Stadtteile), the Quartiere have no statistical or administrative importance. They do, however, serve some function as to their inhabitants' identity, but more practically than that, they are also useful for finding one's way with a city map and using in bus route names and on public notices and traffic signs. Many of the Hüttentalstraße city Autobahn's exits are also named after the Quartiere that they serve.
The communities of Weidenau, Geisweid, Birlenbach, Langenholdinghausen, Buchen, Sohlbach, Dillnhütten, Niedersetzen, Obersetzen and Meiswinkel formed from 1 July 1966 to 31 December 1974 the town of Hüttental. The communities of Eiserfeld, Eisern, Gosenbach, Niederschelden and Oberschelden formed the town of Eiserfeld between those same two dates.
Twin Towns
It has been twinned with the borough of Spandau in Berlin since 1952. Other twin cities are:
Netherlands, Rijnsburg, since 1963, continuation of partnership with amalgamated town of Katwijk as of 2006
United Kingdom, Leeds, since 1966
Belgium, Ypres, since 1967
Poland, Zakopane, since 1989
Germany, 
Saxony, Plauen, since 1990
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Images for kids
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Nikolaikirche with "coronet".
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Marienkirche.
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Siegen Pedestrian zone
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Siegen Town hall
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Apollo-Theater.
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Oberes Schloss.
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Part of Unteres Schloss with "Fat Tower".
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Schlossplatz during the opening 2006 World Cup match.
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Museum für Gegenwartskunst (Museum of Contemporary Art), Siegen
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Protected gasholder.
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Siegen station
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Tracks and Rhein-Sieg railway (Sieg line)
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The Siegtalbrücke as seen from Alte Dreisbach in Siegen
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Shopping centres Sieg Carré and City-Galerie
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Henry III of Nassau-Breda with his third wife
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Peter Paul Rubens
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Heinrich Kreutz
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Heinrich Gontermann
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Hermann Giesler in 1938
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Rolf Stommelen in 1972
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