Any company that wants to live on to see the future has to understand the need for change. We believe in progress and this belief is reflected in our corporate history. Having started out in architecture and shipbuilding, we have gradually branched out into and established ourselves in the areas of marketing, design, communication, design management and public relations. We trust in making progress whilst staying true to your roots – and this philosophy guides everything we do. We’re shouldering and taking seriously our responsibility towards our long-standing partners, our committed staff, and society as a whole.
The culture of our family business is defined by a respect for history and tradition on the one hand and openness and tolerance on the other. Harkotten Castle, where sieger design has been headquartered since 1988, is both cultural stronghold and creative workshop. Built by the Baron of Ketteler from 1754 on, the historical architecture contrasts with the work of contemporary designers today. Here, our aspirations and ideas unite as the genius loci is respectfully given a modern-day twist. Office furniture we have designed ourselves, as well as works from our artist friends and a collection of modern art, allow for a delicate symbiosis with antique baroque floors and ceilings. Our workshops and offices, a well-organised technical library, the in-house scale model and prototype workshop with water laboratory are all housed at the over 2,000 square-metre site.
The care and attention with which the family restored the Castle is also evident in the 10,000 square-metre sculpture park. Belgian landscape architect Jacques Wirtz designed the grounds in line with a clear classical arrangement. In the restored garden, a collection of modern works of art is to be found that features pieces by artist and designer friends. Alessandro Mendini, pioneer of the Memphis and Alchemia schools of design in Milan, created the Monumentino sculpture, which is set with 25,000 Bisazza glass stones and stands in the castle’s forecourt. Ettore Sottsass, the wise man of Italian design and a close friend of the Siegers, drew his inspiration from Indian architecture and meditation techniques and developed a pavilion for Harkotten Castle for the purposes of relaxation and creative thinking. The sculpture by Fabrizio Plessi on the opposite of the park establishes a fascinating juxtaposition to Sottsas’ work. Humid Soul, as his work is poetically entitled, is a six-metre-high tower made of corten steel in whose centre hangs an imposing, unstripped tree trunk with no roots or crown. The sculpture is a symbol for the conflict between man and nature and is also Plessi’s first-ever open-air sculpture.