City centres are changing – due to shifts in consumer behaviour and exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The retail sector is struggling with declining sales, footfall in city centres is falling and vacant properties are on the rise. Instead of owner-managed shops, chain stores and restaurant chains are taking over attractive spaces. This transformation process also affects Siegen.

Stadtmarketing Siegen GmbH has set itself the task of addressing these challenges and exploiting the opportunities that this change can bring for Siegen and its citizens: the process requires a rethink and a new approach, it is changing the balance of power in the city and calls for us to join forces to shape the future of Siegen's city centre.

At the heart of effective city centre management is a ‘city centre alliance’ made up of key players in the city – from retail, gastronomy, culture, business and science. In fixed discussion formats and committees, ideas and measures are worked on together to strengthen the city centre as a place of encounter. This contributes to the quality of life as well as the attractiveness of the location: a city centre thrives on a diverse mix of retail, gastronomy, culture and experiences, a mix of residential, working and living spaces, and an infrastructure that connects the city's places and people.

Since 2022, a strategic centre management system has been established in Siegen to accompany the transformation of the city centre and steer it with the numerous stakeholders mentioned above. It is being implemented by Stadtmarketing Siegen GmbH, supported by the Hamburg-based strategy consultancy Stadtmanufaktur GmbH and funded by the ‘Sofortprogramm Innenstadt’ (Immediate Action Programme for City Centres) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

More information about the City Centre Alliance is available here.

Tanja Hundt has been the new centre manager at Stadtmarketing Siegen since January 2026. ‘Kerstin Wagner has laid a solid foundation with her excellent preparatory work. I am very pleased to follow in her footsteps and to continue to actively support the network of the city centre alliance and the dialogue with citizens. Siegen has many great places to experience and meet people, which need to be strengthened and promoted,’ says Tanja Hundt, describing her plans for the future.

In the coming months, the focus will be on gathering new ideas and further establishing proven projects such as ‘Der Berg ruft’ (The Mountain Calls) and ‘Kunstweg verbindet – ein Fest in der Sandstraße’ (Art Path Connects – A Festival in Sandstraße).