Rastatt

Woking and Rastatt became twin towns in April 2001when the Mayors signed a Charter of Friendship. Follow this link to the town's website http://www.rastatt.de/servlet/PB/menu/-1/index.html 

Rastatt is a vibrant city in South West Germany, close to the French border and Alsace, and bordered by the Rhine and the Black Forest.  The town benefits from excellent road links as it stands on the A5 motorway from Basel to Karlsruhe.  It is within easy reach of Strasbourg and Stuttgart international airports and also has an international rail link.  The town is also just a short distance from the famous spa town, Baden-Baden.

The town has many attractions for the visitor.  Set in the Rhine meadowlands, an area of unique natural beauty, its centre is a gem of Baroque architecture. 

The town is famous in Germany for its biannual street theatre festival, the largest in Europe.

History of the town

Rastatt, the little market town on the banks of the river Murg, was in a strategically important position, and suffered for it during the middle ages, changing hands several times during those turbulent times.  The town came to real prominence with the 18th Century, when it was chosen by the Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden as the site of his new hunting palace.  The Margrave was a renowned soldier, nicknamed 'Turkenlouis' for his bravery in the wars against the Turks.  He was also an ambitious man, who made an advantageous marriage to Sibylla Augusta, a princess from Bohemia.  She brought with her a great fortune, and the Margrave at once set to work using it to remodel the whole town of Rastatt, in high Baroque style, using the Palace of Versailles as a model for his own residence.  After his death his widow, the Margravine, continued to adorn the town with gems of architecture - the Chapel, the Pagodenburg and the lovely Schloss Favorite. 

The great days of the town as the centre for a noble court came to an end by the end of the century, and at the close of the Napoleonic era, the area was heavily fortified, and Rastatt became a garrison town.

Revolution!

Not everyone knows that the French Revolution had its counterpart in Germany in 1848 , and Rastatt's fortress was at its heart. The soldiers stationed there mutinied and joined with the civilian rebels.  The brave young revolutionaries hoped to see the birth of a German republic, but their rising was viciously repressed by the Prussian army.  Many of the Baden revolutionaries were captured and executed or imprisoned, and others fled the country. 

A hero of these times was Carl Schurz, who fled the town as the Prussians took over, making a hairsbreadth escape through the sewers, just ahead of the pursuit.  With many other exiled revolutionaries, he emigrated to America as a penniless refugee, but within a few years rose to be a Senator and Secretary of the Interior, and a renowned writer and orator.  Known for his liberal views and compassion towards the native americans and enfranchised black slaves of the South, Schurtz was also noted for his anti imperialist stance.

In Rastatt's Palace is a fascinating museum about the revolution, well worth a visit.

After the revolution came the rise of militarianism in Germany.  The town has a nationally famed museum of military history, which throws much light on this subject.