(c) by Archiv des Rhein-Sieg-Kreises (Dr. Claudia Arndt)
Description [EN]
We have a choice between action and inaction, between speaking out and remaining silent, between remembering and forgetting – this is one of the messages conveyed by the ‘Landjuden an der Sieg’ memorial. In 1988, to mark the 50th anniversary of the November pogroms, the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis resolved to document Jewish life along the River Sieg and to contribute to the work of remembrance.
Hilde Seligmann made available for this purpose the former home of her late father-in-law, Max Seligmann. The Jewish second-hand goods dealer was the only one of four children to survive the Holocaust – until 1971, the house on Bergstraße in Windeck-Rosbach served as both a home and a workplace for his family. Max’s father, Moses Seligmann, had purchased the building – which is now around 200 years old – in 1919.
Ten rooms and the hallway of the two-storey half-timbered house document Jewish life in the countryside prior to 1933, as well as the persecution and extermination of the Jews who once lived in the Sieg region. A purpose-built event venue right next to the half-timbered house provides space for activities with school groups, lectures, concerts and much more.
First opened in 1994, the memorial underwent a complete refurbishment over a period of eight years from 2016, during which the exhibition was entirely redesigned. Since August 2024, the refurbished memorial, featuring the new permanent exhibition, has once again been open to the public. Photographs, books, cultural artefacts and pieces of furniture – most of which come from the Seligmann family’s own collection – as well as numerous documents from the district archive form part of the new permanent exhibition. In the house where the Seligmann family lived for generations, historical developments can be traced through the individual biographies of the family members.
The archive of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis provide academic and administrative support for the memorial and are responsible for further research into and the presentation of Jewish history in the Rhein-Sieg district.
In November 2020, the memorial was included in the United Nations’ interactive online exhibition ‘7 Places – Seven Places in Germany’.
Services
Car parking
Ein PKW-Parkplatz ist direkt hinter dem Veranstaltungsgebäude vorhanden.
Connection public transport
S-Bahn-Linien 12 und 19 von Köln in Richtung Au (Sieg) bis Rosbach (Sieg) (halbstündlich).BITTE BEACHTEN SIE:Die Siegstrecke ist vom 13. Dezember 2026 bis zum 9. Juli 2027 zwischen Hennef (Sieg) und Siegen Hbf voll gesperrt. Somit ist auch Windeck-Rosbach in dieser Zeit nicht mit der Bahn erreichbar.
wardrobe
ja
Lockers
nein
Loan Rollers & Rollers
nein
Lendable baby carriages and baby carriers
nein
Baby changing facilities
nein
WiFi
ja
Cafe/Restaurant
nein
Museumsshop
ja
Event room / lecture rooms (rentable)
ja
Guided tours and group offers
ja
First aid room
nein
Accessibility
Access with ramp
No
Guidance system for visually impaired people, Tactile / acoustic map
No
Entrance soil indicators
No
Marking of step edges
No
Access stairless
No
Access with ramp
No
Elevator with tactile font / announcement
No
Disabled toilet
Yes
Labeling in pictograms
No
Inscription in braille
No
Acoustically accessible exhibition objects
No
Tactile accessible exhibition objects
No
Print medium in braille inscription / large print
No
Tactile / audio tours
No
Guided tours in sign language
No
Tactile flooring system
No
Barrier-free Audioguides
No
Educational programs for visitors with learning difficulties
No