Siegen and Region

Dialect

Siegerländer Platt is spoken in the areas of the old district of Siegen and in the neighboring districts of Altenkirchen and Westerwald. Here
you will find a short introduction to the dialect, the pronunciation and many examples of Sejerlännr Pladd. There is also the Wittgensteiner Platt, which is spoken in the former districts of Wittgenstein, now Bad Berleburg and Bad Laasphe. An online interactive dictionary
of the Wittgensteiner Platt attempts to record the language sentence and gives you an insight into the dialect.

History of the Siegen-Wittgenstein region

Siegen and Wittgenstein used to be separate regions. The reorganization after the Napoleonic Wars led to the Principality of Siegen being awarded to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815. One year later (1816), the Wittgenstein territories also became part of Prussia. Here
you will find an overview of the history of the districts of Siegen and Wittgenstein before they were merged. At the beginning of 1975, the districts of Siegen and Wittgenstein were dissolved and merged to form the district of Siegen. It was not until 1984 that the district was renamed Siegen-Wittgenstein.

Traditions

The Siegerland has many traditions, one of which is the craft of charcoal burning. Charcoal used to be needed to smelt iron ore, but nowadays it is mostly processed in foundries or used for barbecues. One of the last charcoal pile sites in the region can be found in Netphen, the Walpersdorf charcoal pile.

Siegerländer Hauberg is a special form of coppice forestry that has characterized the Siegerland landscape for centuries. It is a unique form in Europe. A visit to a Hauberg is possible in Kreuztal-Fellinghausen. Information on visiting the historic Hauberg can be found here.

Riewekooche" is a local specialty of the Siegerland region. It is a potato bread which is usually served with salted butter or jam. You can find a recipe here.

More information about the traditions of the Siegerland can be found here.

Surroundings

The area surrounding the university town of Siegen also has a lot to offer. The town of Freudenberg in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district is less than half an hour west of Siegen. The historic town center of Alter Flecken, which was built in the half-timbered style, is particularly beautiful to explore.

The Biggesee is located in the Sauerland-Rothaargebirge Nature Park and has a lot to offer. The landscape is particularly suitable for cycling, but hiking and swimming are also possible. You can find more information about the numerous activities on Lake Bigge here.