Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen born on March 30, 1818, in Hamm an der Sieg died on March 11, 1888, in Heddesdorf, now part of Neuwied

As a rural mayor, Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen became acquainted with the plight of the rural population. Since 1846, he organized associations that initially relied on charity but soon were organized according to the principles of self-help, self-administration, and self-responsibility. The credit cooperatives known as "savings and loan associations" quickly spread throughout Germany. A diverse cooperative organization emerged.
Raiffeisen's actions were characterized by Christian motivation. The associations were intended to have an impact not only economically but also to assist in realizing a Christian society in a Christian-social sense.

Directly next to the Roentgen Museum (District Museum) is the "Raiffeisenplatz" with a monument for Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen (1818-1888; mayor in Heddesdorf from 1852-65), who developed the ideas for the now globally-reaching cooperative system here.