Oberes Castle (Siegen)

Main Complex

The so-called three-story Bishop's House in the north of the complex probably dates partly from the 13th century. This features a Gothic hall on the upper floor. The building was probably rebuilt in the 15th century. On the second upper floor is the Oranier Hall, established in 1506. This is in Baroque style and equipped with 18th-century works. A pavilion tower was added to the west of the Bishop's House in the 17th century.

The Count's House from the beginnings of the castle is no longer preserved in its old form. In its place is a two-story half-timbered building. It was not built before the 18th century. This building was extended in 1906 by an annex.

The comital and episcopal parts of the castle were connected by the Haintor. The building is rectangular and four-story. A lower building was attached to it in the direction of the castle garden. This is called the Old Chapel and probably actually served as the castle chapel, as remnants of paintings suggest.

A formerly existing large round main tower was demolished in the 16th century, as evidenced by account books documenting the demolition of a large tower in the castle area for the year 1529. The foundations of this keep were rediscovered during archaeological excavations in 1989–1990. The west building of the complex had also been removed in earlier centuries. Later, an outbuilding was built in the southwest of the main courtyard. This fell victim to the destruction in World War II, after having served as a youth hostel since 1926.

Outer Works and Outbuildings

The main castle complex is surrounded by a system of outer works, mostly built in the early 17th century under Count John the Middle, after the castle became a residence in 1607. On the east side of the complex, the castle wall with the remains of two round towers – Hexenturm and Sackturm – from the late medieval period has been preserved. Immediately next to the Hexenturm is a side entrance in the wall called "Armesünderpforte" (Poor Sinner's Gate), through which condemned prisoners were led to the execution site. In the northeast corner of the fortifications lies a largely preserved battery tower called Großer Krebs (Great Crab), which carried several cannons aimed at the Sieg valley to the north, and which controlled the eastern access to the city via the Marburger Tor of the Siegen city fortifications. Access to the former burgmann settlement was provided by the gate tower Marburger Pforte next to the Marburger Tor. In the area of the Burgfreiheit on the west side of the castle, a Jesuit college was built in 1643. Two bastions facing the city in the west of the complex – Jesuit Bastion and Hasengarten Bastion, originally each equipped with three cannons – were built by Prince Johann Franz Desideratus in 1683. Between them lies the gatehouse from the early 17th century with a slate-covered upper floor and the main entrance to the castle grounds. In the area of the Burgfreiheit was also the building, destroyed in World War II, where Peter Paul Rubens was born in 1577. In addition, there is a former armory from the 17th century, located somewhat outside the fortifications west of the gatehouse.

Siegerlandmuseum

In 1888, the city of Siegen acquired the Upper Castle for the "relatively favorable" price of 30,400 Marks from the Kingdom of Prussia and established the Siegerlandmuseum there in 1905, a museum for regional history. The inauguration took place on March 25, 1905. The museum's task was to "represent the essence of the Siegerland homeland in terms of history, culture, and folklore." The museum began with only three exhibition rooms in the castle; by 1929, it already extended to 35 rooms. Currently, the museum has approximately 1,500 m² of exhibition space. The exhibition rooms house, among other things, one of the most important portrait collections of the Houses of Nassau and Orange. In the Rubens Hall, nine original paintings by the Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens are permanently exhibited, including a version of his famous work The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus. Among the most significant rooms of the museum is also the 14th-century Gothic Hall with an original preserved floor paving of greywacke stones in a herringbone pattern. Other rooms are dedicated to famous personalities from the Siegerland, including the physician and writer Johann Heinrich Jung-Stilling and the musician family Gebrüder Busch. Under the castle courtyard, a show mine was established in 1938 at a depth of 14 meters, which shows original facilities and equipment of a Siegerland ore mine over approximately 150 meters of tunnel length. The show mine was opened on July 8, 1938, during the Westfalen Day in Siegen. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions. The city of Siegen has been the sole sponsor of the Siegerlandmuseum since 1981. The museum has been directed by Ursula Blanchebarbe since 1991. Predecessors in this position included Wilhelm Weyer from 1946 to 1949 or Bernd Roedig. The castle also houses the scientific city library (Siegerlandbibliothek).

Castle Park and Periphery

The largest part of the castle grounds is occupied by the castle park, which mainly serves as an ornamental garden with large flowerbeds, including about 60,000 tulips. Several contemporary sculptures are permanently exhibited in the castle park, including the Rubens Fountain with a sculpture by Hermann Kuhmichel, which commemorates the birth of Peter Paul Rubens, born in Siegen in 1577. Under a tent roof construction in the southern half of the park, cultural events – concerts and theater performances – regularly take place during the summer months. In addition, the grounds include a café-restaurant and a children's playground. The armory immediately in front of the castle grounds is currently used as a student dormitory and also houses a restaurant on the ground floor.

During the National Socialist era, two high bunkers for civilian air raid protection were built on the southern part of the castle park, partially integrated into the historical fortifications. A third air raid bunker with two separate buildings was built on the grounds of the Burgfreiheit on the north side of Burgstraße. For camouflage purposes, the external appearance of the buildings was partly based on the architecture of the Upper Castle. Together, the bunker systems had a seating and lying capacity for approximately 3,000 people. After the end of World War II, the upper floors of two of the bunkers were converted into private living space, which is still in use today.