Haus Heinbach was built in 1752. In the 1840 inventory plan covering the market square area, the two-storey half-timbered building on Sohlbach is listed as one of the oldest houses in the Klafeld-Geisweid district. In 1985, the house was listed as a historic monument. Three years later, in 1988, ownership was transferred to the city of Siegen through a purchase. Over a period of four years, extensive cleaning, gutting and renovation work was carried out. After the renovation work was completed, the house was ceremoniously reopened in 1994.

The Heinbach House houses a variety of historical exhibits. Many of these come from the estate of Franz Seelbach, a local history enthusiast who died in 2002, or were purchased from the Jo Schneider collection, including photos and maps. Next to the house, a model of the market school was erected, which was created by the singers of the MGV Concordia Frohsinn choir for the 900th anniversary celebrations in 1979. The market school existed from 1819 to 1959, and its predecessor building was already used by Johann Heinrich Jung, known as Jung-Stilling, as a teacher. He taught there from the 1st of December 1759 to the 29th of September 1760. Behind the house is Hammer III, the former hammer mill of the South Westphalia steelworks, dating from 1944. A historical inscription was added here in 2011..

A large room inside the house houses numerous historical photographs and also serves as an event room for family celebrations.
Since 2004, the city of Siegen, as the owner of the house, has been responsible for operating costs and annual repairs up to an amount of 500 euros. The house is subject to a loan agreement with the Heimat- und Verkehrsverein Hüttental e.V. (Hüttental Local History and Tourism Association).

Klafeld, first mentioned in documents in 1079, offers numerous sights that reflect its historical and cultural significance. One outstanding example is the Heimathaus, the Heinbach House at Sedanstraße 3. 

Another important location is the historic market square, where the renowned educator Jung-Stilling taught as early as 1759–1760. In 1882, the community of Klafeld decided to establish an annual fair. In the years that followed, various developments shaped the area. Since 2005, the square has been adorned by the sculpture ‘Masselnschläger’ by Prof. Karl-Henning Seemann. Since 2006, a commemorative plaque has commemorated Ignaz Bruck, who was murdered on the market square in 1945. Despite various relocations and adjustments, the weekly market remained a central theme until 2021.

The Geisweider Town Hall and its surroundings also impress with numerous works of art. Since 1974, a stylised blast furnace sculpture by Wolfram Gaffron has dominated the scene, which was restored in 2002. In 2015, large-format reliefs by Hermann Kuhmichel and other exhibits, including a welded sculpture entitled ‘Arbeit und Leben’ (Work and Life), were integrated into the town hall. In 2021, the ‘Hüttental Stele’ by Rainer Paul was also reinstalled at its original location on Rathausstraße.

The Wenschtsiedlung, founded in 1952 to alleviate the housing shortage after the Second World War, provided a home for refugees and displaced persons in particular. Dr. Dudziak Park, with its two swan ponds, is one of the outstanding features of the settlement. Extensive renovation and greening measures were carried out between 2017 and 2021, supported by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since May 2021, the settlement has been designated a ‘Monument of the Month’ and is subject to strict preservation and design requirements. Today, around 4,000 people live in the once award-winning garden city, and the local heritage association offers guided tours.

Source: Traute Fries

The Haardter Hütte was first mentioned in documents in 1417 as the ‘Blashütte vor der Haardt’ (blowing hut in front of the Haardt). Production of artillery began there in the foundry as early as 1445, and later motive plates for cast-iron stoves were also produced. With industrialisation, a steam engine was put into operation in 1848. In the 1880s, it was converted into the general partnership ‘Haardter Hüttengewerkschaft Berg & Cie’ before being transformed into a joint-stock company in 1888. In 1898, the smelter was sold to the neighbouring Rolandshütte AG in Weidenau and shut down. After a brief restart of the blast furnace in 1906, the smelter was only occasionally operated for experimental purposes in the 1920s. It was finally demolished in 1932.

The town of Haardt, one of the six ironworks towns, was merged with the village of Weidenau in 1888 to form the municipality of Weidenau. At that time, Haardt had about 900 inhabitants, while Weidenau had a total of about 4,700.

The Haardter Hammerwerk was also first mentioned in 1417. The unionised hammer mill ceased operations in 1848 and was converted into a puddling mill with two puddling furnaces and four welding fires in 1851. As early as 1855, the company was renamed ‘Fuchs und Co.’ Around 1860, two steam hammers and two water hammers were in operation, and in 1868 a rolling mill was added. This rolling mill was taken over by Bremer Hütte in 1900, but was shut down in 1916.

The casting hall at Geisweider Eisenwerke was built in 1902 as part of the second blast furnace to cover the casting area and crane runway. At that time, pig iron was still cast in sand channels and then broken up by lump breakers. This casting hall is one of the last remnants of the puddling mill founded in 1846.

The most important milestones in the history of Geisweider Eisenwerke include its founding in 1845 by J.H. Dresler, the construction of the first blast furnace in 1872 and its renaming to ‘Geisweider Eisenwerke AG’ in 1879. In 1889, the first Siemens-Martin steelworks was put into operation, followed by the construction of the second blast furnace in 1902. After a standstill during the First World War and economic crises, the plant was taken over by Thyssen and Klöckner in 1920 and became part of Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG.

After the break-up of VESTAG, the mill became part of Stahlwerke Südwestfalen AG in 1951. In 1978, a 140-tonne electric arc furnace was installed, which is still in operation today. The last blast furnace in the Siegerland region, blast furnace 2, was demolished in 1981. The plant, which now belongs to Deutsche Edelstahlwerke GmbH, produces stainless steel from scrap. Of the 7,000 jobs that once existed, around 1,100 remain today.

Source: Gießhalle Geisweider Eisenwerke • Bauwerk und Denkmal » outdooractive.com

In the 1950s, Stahlwerke Südwestfalen AG, under the leadership of Director of Labour Dr Erich Dudziak, built the Wenscht housing estate in Siegen-Geisweid to alleviate the post-war housing shortage. Three years of employment at the steelworks was a prerequisite for obtaining a building plot, and most of the buildings were constructed by the residents themselves. The ‘Vordere Wenscht’ in particular, a garden city with pergola houses, is characterised by high urban planning quality. Renowned artists designed numerous sculptures and façades, giving the settlement an artistic touch.

The creation of Wenscht is linked to the expansion of the steel industry in the Siegerland region after the Second World War. The steelworks provided a livelihood for many displaced persons from the former East Germany. On the initiative of Dr Dudziak, apartments and houses were to be built in a natural environment. At the end of 1950, the area in the municipality of Klafeld was approved for development.

The construction of the settlement took place in three phases: first, the ‘Hintere Wenscht’ (planning began in 1950) was built, followed by the ‘Oberen Wenscht’ from 1952 onwards, and finally the ‘Vordere Wenscht’. The development of the Vordere Wenscht was funded by social housing subsidies and was considered a showcase project for modern residential development. A total of 220 owner-occupied homes, 310 rental apartments, 20 apartments in a commercial area and 60 residential units in a single persons' hostel were built. The planning also included all the necessary facilities such as shops, kindergartens, schools, a milk bar, post office, pharmacy, green spaces, playgrounds and sports fields, as well as Protestant and Catholic churches with associated youth rooms. A spacious park with a pond and playgrounds harmoniously connected the settlement with the surrounding landscape.

Vordere Wenscht was designed as a garden city and is a separate area of the settlement. This planning idea was unique for the Siegerland region in terms of its size and execution. For the first time, owner-occupied homes and rental apartments were combined in longer buildings. Westfälische Wohnstätten AG from Dortmund and architects Helmut Erdle and Karl Brunne designed terraced houses and pergola houses arranged in tiers, which blend harmoniously into the hillside location. The floodplain, bordered by Wenschtstraße and Albichweg, remained free of development and was designed as a publicly accessible park with playgrounds and a swan pond.

The overall design is characterised by a natural look, comprising open spaces, strips of forest and park-like areas. These elements give the settlement a sense of spaciousness and openness that conveys an impression of openness despite the dense development. Square-like street extensions and the harmonious transition to the surrounding landscape make Vordere Wenscht an exemplary project of social housing construction and modern urban development.

Source: Gartenstadt Wenscht – eine ganz besondere Siedlung | Unser Siegen
Gartenstadt "Das vordere Wenscht" Siegen, Stadtplanung - baukunst-nrw
Das Vordere Wenscht – Wohnen in Siegen im Wenscht Das Vordere Wenscht - Geschichte eines Wohngebiets als Gartenstadt

Monte Schlacko, the landmark of Siegen's Hüttental valley, was created from the slag of the ‘Bremer Hütte’ ironworks, which was in operation from 1873 to 1930. The slag was transported to the slag heap by cable car, which is still commemorated today by an iron pillar on the summit. Originally a barren lunar landscape, the area has developed over the years into a nature reserve where rare plant and animal species have settled on the nutrient-poor soil containing heavy metals. 

The Monte Schlacko slag heap nature reserve is a valuable ecological, cultural-historical and scenic area on the outskirts of Siegen. The flat embankments and the level summit are now covered with birch forest. Over the decades, a species-rich oak-birch forest has developed in the lower slopes, providing a habitat for rare plant species.

The soil of the slag heap contains heavy metals in places, which leads to a special selection of plants that are specialised in such conditions. The open, vegetation-free areas are important for various animal species. 

The history of Monte Schlacko is closely linked to the Bremerhütte, which was built in 1872/73 by Bremen merchants on the Geisweider property ‘In der Lache’. Until 1900, the slag produced was disposed of on the factory premises. Due to lack of space, the smelter acquired a site on the Ley, where the slag was transported by cable car until the end of 1929. The last chimney was demolished in 1934, yielding 180,000 bricks for house construction. Today, the ‘Bremer Platz’ on the DEW premises and the basement of the former administration building serve as reminders of the company. The Monte Schlacko itself remains an imposing remnant of industrial history.

After the Second World War, the slag sand was temporarily used as a substitute for Rhine sand in reconstruction work. The resulting excavation pit was later filled in with earth excavated from the university building. Historical photos document these developments, some of which come from the collection of amateur researcher Torsten Kirsch, who has studied the history of Weidenau extensively.

The first attempts at greening were made as early as the 1940s, when schoolchildren, under the guidance of headmaster Schmidt, scattered seeds on the slag heap, but without lasting success. A renewed attempt in the 1970s, in which 500,000 DM was invested, also failed to produce any lasting greening.

Over the years, the slag heap has been given various names, including ‘Piz Palü’, ‘Fudschijama’ and “Kamerunberg”. The name ‘Monte Schlacko’, on the other hand, is commonly used in the Ruhr area for spoil tips. The significance of the slag heap was underlined in 1952 when it was incorporated into the coat of arms of the municipality of Klafeld-Geisweid as a symbol of the metallurgical industry.

Literature on this subject, in particular the book ‘Der Monte Schlacko – die Graue Eminenz des Hüttentals’ (Monte Schlacko – the Grey Eminence of the Hüttental) by Kristian Kosch from 2007, offers further insights into the eventful history of this striking landmark.

Source: Monte Schlacko • Bauwerk und Denkmal » outdooractive.com

Getting there:
Take the bus (R10 or R51) from Siegen bus station/ZOB to the ‘Geisweid ZOB’ stop. From there, it is a 5-10 minute walk to the individual industrial monuments.