Siegen (Hess. Chronica)

This view in landscape format shows the city from the side of the River Sieg, lying on a hill and surrounded by a city wall. In the foreground the Sieg Bridge and a mill can be recognised, as can the large bulwark that is St. Martin’s Church (Martinikirche). Wilhelm Dilich’s main work is the Synopsis totius Hessiae, published in 1605, for which he also produced this view of Siegen. It is the oldest of four 17th-century views of the city. Wilhelm Dilich studied at the Philipps University of Marburg, where he became acquainted with Landgrave Moritz von Hessen-Kassel. On the latter’s behalf, he travelled Germany as a graphic artist, creating illustrations and city views. In the enclosed text we read: ‘Siegen is an elegant city in this state set on a hill and a cliff / and fortified with walls / and towers. Has a special castle within / and an elegant iron mine not far from the city […].’