Siegburg Asylum

Siegburg Asylum, opened in 1825 under the direction of Dr Carl Jacobi in the Prussian Rhine province, to the north of Bonn and to the south of Köln.

The asylum was housed in the former Benedictine monastery of Michaelsberg, which saw service in the nineteenth century as a barracks, a prison, and an asylum. It later reverted back to its origninal function and is once again a monestary.

The buildings sit on a steep rock overlooking the town of Siegburg. The asylum consisted of a rectangular layout of buildings, with courtyards and a large church in the centre.

In 1834 Dr Jacobi published a work detailing the ideals for construction and management of an asylum. It refered to the difficulties faced at Siegburg Asylum, resulting from old buildings, not originally designed for the purpose.