Rastatt is a City in Baden-Württemberg, about 22 kilometres southwest of Karlsruhe and about twelve kilometres north of Baden-Baden. It is the District town and largest city of the District of Rastatt and forms a Medium-sized centre for the neighbouring communities.
The urban area of Rastatt consists of the town centre and the districts of Niederbühl, Ottersdorf, Plittersdorf, Rauental and Wintersdorf.
Here are a few facts about the history of Rastatt Excerpts from the community page:
From the Bronze Age to the 16th century
The settlement of the Rastatt district dates back to the Bronze Age. Conveniently located at an important river crossing, the village of Rasteten was first mentioned at the end of the 11th century.
King Ruprecht granted the town market rights in 1404. The market developed into a favoured trading centre for Alsatian wine. This is why the town of Rastatt runs the wine ladder in the Coat of arms.
The Palatinate War of Succession in 1689 completely destroyed the market town. The town was then rebuilt as the new residence and model town of Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden-Baden.Rastatt in the 17th and 18th centuries
Slightly elevated is the imposing complex of the Rastatt Residential Palace above the city. High up on the roof shines the golden figure of Jupiter, popularly known as the „Golden Man“. It symbolises the builder of the castle: Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden-Baden, who reigned from 1677 to 1707. In 1700, he was the first prince on the Upper Rhine to decide to build a modern Baroque residence instead of the hunting lodge he had already begun work on.
The palace is one of the earliest German examples of the imitation of the Versailles system. The glorification of the sovereign through architecture, painting and stucco is particularly evident here. The margrave flaunted his military merits in the palace - as an imperial commander, he had been successful in the Great Turkish War and thus earned the nickname „Türkenlouis“ (Turkish Louis). In 1705, the family moved into a side wing of the palace - but the margrave could hardly enjoy his new residence.
Ludwig Wilhelm died in January 1707, leaving his wife to rule the country. Sibylla Augusta Sibylla Augusta ruled over the country for twenty years in place of her son Ludwig Georg, who was still a minor. Sibylla Augusta completed the interior of the palace and added further buildings to the residence.
Located just a few kilometres away Favourite pleasure palace bears witness to her exceptional taste in art to this day. Neither palace was destroyed in the Second World War.
In 1714, Rastatt was the scene where European history was written. It was here that the Peace in Rastatt the War of the Spanish Succession in which all the major European powers had been involved since 1701. The castle provided the stage for the four-month peace negotiations that resulted in the Peace of Rastatt.
Rastatt was the residence of the Margraviate of Baden-Baden from 1705 to 1771. During this period, the important baroque buildings that still characterise the cityscape of Rastatt today. After the Baden-Baden line died out in 1771, the margraviate fell to the Protestant Baden-Durlach. The new state government under Margrave Karl Friedrich took various initiatives to promote the Rastatt economy. These included the organisation of the Rastatt Congress, which met in the former residential palace from 1797 to 1799, as well as the founding of a carriage factory. The court and later the Middle Rhine district government were established in Rastatt. In the first half of the 19th century, the town developed into a prosperous centre of government.
Federal fortress and Baden Revolution
The Construction of the Rastatt federal fortress since 1842 meant a turning point in the city's development. The cityscape and life in the city changed fundamentally. The authorities move away and economic development is now very limited and heavily dependent on the military.
In 1849, Rastatt became the centre of the revolutionary events during the Baden Revolution. From 1 to 23 July, over 5,500 men of the revolutionary army were trapped in the fortress, eventually surrendering to the Prussian besiegers. The federal fortress of Rastatt became a symbol of the Baden revolution. For the Prussians it was the place of triumph, for the Baden democrats the place of defeat. The fortress ramparts came down after 1890 and Rastatt became an open town again. New industrial settlements came to Rastatt and brought prosperity to the town.
Our veterinary practice in Malsch is located approx. 10.1 kilometres from Rastatt and is easy to reach via the B3.
