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Language and Culture
Language
Language and culture are closely interlinked as, in fact,
language is a part of culture. When moving to a new country,
the exciting (and sometimes exhausting) part is to get to know
more about the local culture, customs, and the like. Through
language you will gain an additional access to the German
culture and will be able to share your own culture more easily,
too. And, through cultural exchange we learn more about
ourselved, too. So, if you are interested in learning German,
please visit the Language
Center's website. Courses are free to member of and
scholarship holders at the University of Siegen. If your spouse
or partner is interested in taking a German course but is not a
student or researcher at the University of Siegen, please let
us know and we will inform you of the options available.
Culture
Siegen has a lot of cultural sites and events to offer. The Oberes Schloss, for instance, is not only a historic site but also has beautiful castle gardens to relax and meet people in, a small theater area, and is home to the Siegerlandmuseum and the Open Air Cinema in the summer.
Museums and Galleries
Apart from the Siegerlandmuseum there are also a
number of other museums and art galleries in and around
Siegen, many of which focus on local history, be it the
former ruling aristocracy, the history of mining, or
Siegen's role in Nazi Germany. You can find an overview of
museums in Siegen here, and should you want to go
slightly further afield, you could visit one of these
museums in the Kreis
Siegen-Wittgenstein.
Cultural Events
There are many cultural events (e.g. music/concerts,
theater, cabaret etc.) that take place throughout the year
in Siegen and the surrounding towns. Please find the
culture programs for the different places below.
» Siegen
» Kreuztal
» Freudenberg
» Altenkirchen
Libraries and public book shelves
In addition to the university library, Siegen also has a public city library located opposite the town hall in the upper part of the city. Here, you can borrow books, films, music, and games for a fee. Further information about the city library or how to obtain a library card can be found via this link. Kreuztal also has a well-stocked public library.
If you enjoy being surprised by your next read, there are several public book exchange shelves in Siegen where books are available for swapping. Of course, you are also welcome to place your own books that you’ve finished and no longer need on these shelves. We would like to introduce a few to you: On Sandstraße, where the International Office is located, there is a multilingual book shelf in the ground floor foyer. Additionally, the university library offers a book exchange shelf in the Bib-Café. In Siegen, there is a bookcase inside a red telephone booth at the Sieg Carré, and in Weidenau, there is a small exchange shelf in front of the entrance to REWE.
Cinemas
In Siegen there are
several cinemas where you can watch new and old movies.
Here is a selection for cinemas in and around the city of
Siegen:
» CineStar Siegen
» International movie nights of the Language
Center
» Panoptikum - the student cinema
» Open-Air-Cinema
» Viktora-Filmtheater
» Kulturhaus
Lÿz
Religion
In Germany, there is
freedom of religion, which guarantees every individual the
freedom to practice his/her religion, to profess it and to
join a religious community. However, everyone is also free
not to profess any religion, to leave religious communities
or to change to any other religion.
The majority of the German population of Christian faith
and the city of Siegen is the seat of the Evangelical Community Association
Siegerland-Wittgenstein, with over 60 communities and
many Sunday schools. Here you can find an overview of
the upcoming church services. Information and services of
the Catholic Church in Siegen can be found here.
There are a total of seven mosques in Siegen, including
the Ibrahim Alkhalil Mosque, which is also the
largest Muslim community in Siegen. The nearest synagogue
is in the center of Cologne, information can be
found here. In addition, one of more than 80
societies of Christian-Jewish cooperation is
located in Siegen.
There are also various religious university communities, an
overview of which can be found here.