Siegen: Upper Castle

In this watercolour, the Upper Castle literally takes centre stage. The viewer’s gaze is immediately drawn to the building with its strong presence and true-to-life depiction. As one of Siegen’s oldest and most important buildings, the Upper Castle has always determined the outline of the upper city. With its many windows and wide tower, the compact edifice is surrounded by tall trees, both deciduous and coniferous. Originally the Upper Castle was a medieval hilltop castle. Once the residence of the Counts of Nassau and the Archbishops of Cologne, it absorbed various institutions throughout its history and has housed the Siegerlandmuseum since 1905. Yet despite its significance, the history of the building has not been extensively researched. The castle’s more recent history begins with the Congress of Vienna in 1814-15, at which William I ceded the Principality of Siegen to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; the principality of Siegen was merged into the Prussian province of Westphalia as the district of Siegen. Since then, the former residence has been employed for a variety of purposes. The city of Siegen purchased the Upper Castle in 1888.