60 Years Since Graduation: Alumni Still Hungry for Knowledge
On September 3, 2026, to mark the 60th anniversary of the civil engineers’ graduation, a guided tour was held of the castle building at the Lower Castle—the current location of the Faculty of Economics.
Dr. Michael Gail, a private lecturer and the dean of this school, took the time to personally guide the alumni through the castle grounds.
Of the 11 alumni who had registered for the private tour, seven—Christoph Beyer, Helmut Ernst, Hubertus Janke, Gerd Kleiman, Sieghart Kühne, Friederich Otto-Knapp, and Arnfried Scholz—were able to participate in the 1.5-hour tour.
The alumni gathered in front of the Princes’ Crypt at the Lower Castle and waited for the tour through the castle building and across the “Lower Castle” university campus. The graduates were accompanied by their wives, whom they had met here in the Siegerland region. For this upcoming reunion, they have returned to Siegen from places including Berlin, the Münsterland region, and Heidelberg.
The tour began with historical details about the castle complex, as well as about Prince Johann Moritz von Nassau, who not only commissioned the Princely Crypt but also donated and helped design the crown of St. Nicholas Church.
During the tour, Dr. Michael Gail impressed everyone with his historical knowledge and sparked a flurry of curious questions from the participants. It’s hard to miss that these civil engineers specializing in water management remain highly inquisitive even 60 years after graduation—even the oldest among them, at the proud age of 91, took copious notes during the tour.
In 1966, the diamond jubilee celebrants graduated from the School of Civil Engineering—at that time still located “at Häusling.” They were thus the very last class to graduate from that location. A year later, the engineering programs were relocated to the first building that would later become part of the University of Siegen—namely, on Haardter Berg—the birthplace of the University of Siegen.
The Secret of Eternal Youth Revealed
Anyone who believes that people of advanced age are often marked by melancholy is in for a surprise. Our diamond-anniversary alumni prove just that. As Dr. Gail discusses the restoration of the Fürstengruft during the tour, the wife of one of the honorees whispers cheekily: “Maybe the men should try that sometime, too.” Laughter and merriment quickly spread through the group. One of the honorees then playfully retorts, “That’s enough now. Red card.”
It becomes clear throughout the tour that everyone—including the accompanying guests—is very familiar with one another. This is partly because some members of the group have stayed in touch over the years and regularly get together for shared activities. This year, for example, they went cycling together.
Through their open and charming demeanor, the honorees and their companions show that you can still be full of energy even in your 80s—and, above all, how important humor is in old age.
After the tour of the castle building, the alumni were also able to take a look at the new lecture halls in the lecture hall center on the Lower Castle campus. The size and layout of the rooms, as well as the technology available, amazed the alumni. After all, in their day, the number of students was still quite manageable, and the seminar rooms were correspondingly more intimate.
To cap off the day, everyone enjoyed lunch together in the food court and received anniversary certificates signed by the Rector, which serve as mementos for the graduates and are meant to honor their achievements once again.
Duygu Cicek, Alumni Editorial Team