Siegen from the Northwest

This view of Siegen, a pen-and-ink drawing in landscape format, stands out for its wealth of detail. Situated on a broad hill, the town literally flows down this hill with its carefully drawn, pointed-roof houses, accompanied by the Rivers Weiß and Sieg. The two towers on the hill, which the Upper Castle still had in the 18th century, are visible, as are as details of Siegen’s town fortifications. Of the latter, only a few contemporary depictions exist. Also, in the centre of the picture below the Dicken Tower, we can see the Cologne Gate, for example, with its drawbridge and the medieval entrance to the town. This is now known as the ‘Kutschenweg’. Pine forests and other hills surround Siegen, with individual trees carefully drawn. An artfully designed coat of arms floats above the town, inscribed with the picture’s title and supported by two angels. Margaretha Goetze has washed some passages in her work, meaning that the ink has been applied with a brush.