The “Rubens Fountain” in the grounds of the Upper Castle was created in 1935 by Hermann Kuhmichel, an artist from Siegen, to symbolize the historic wrangling of the three cities. It shows a group of three women huddling closely together, one with a child in her arms.

Right into the 20th century, the cities of Antwerp, Cologne and Siegen vied with each other for the right to be known as the birthplace of Rubens. It was a Dutch archivist who brought the truth to light: Peter Paul Rubens was born in Siegen on June 28th 1577.