Rastatt Fortress
48°51′30″N 08°12′38″E / 48.85833°N 8.21056°E
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Festung_Rastatt%2C_Plan_1849.jpg/220px-Festung_Rastatt%2C_Plan_1849.jpg)
Rastatt Fortress (
Background
On 3 November 1815, in the margins of the
Construction
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Festungssteinbruch_Eichelberg_IMGP8176.jpg/220px-Festungssteinbruch_Eichelberg_IMGP8176.jpg)
Work on the federal fortress of Rastatt began on 15 November 1842 although its foundation stone was not laid until 18 October 1844, because laborious preparatory work was needed. This included the purchase of parcels of land or their requisition in return for compensation. In addition, to municipal and royal land, the properties of 345 private individuals were bought or requisitioned for the fortress.[5]
The construction of the fortress resulted in an enormous economic upturn for the town, which was later paid for however with the departure of public facilities such as the court (Hofgericht) and county council (Kreisregierung).
In 1848 the fortress was opened with the appointment of its first governor, Lieutenant General Carl Felix von Lassolaye.[10]
Following its interruption by the Baden Revolution in 1849, work restarted in 1850, but came to a provisional halt in 1852. After serious disputes over its further expansion and funding, especially between Prussia and Austria,[11] – the town defences and the station lunettes were finished in the period 1852–1854, and, in 1856, two outworks were completed.
Today
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Karlsruher_Tor.jpg/220px-Karlsruher_Tor.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Kehler_Tor.jpg/220px-Kehler_Tor.jpg)
Rastatt Fortress was abandoned in 1890,
The casemates are accessible and guided tours are offered. In the eastern part of the old Leopold Fortress 500 metres of passageway may be visited.
References
- ^ Procès-verbal de la conférence de M. M. les plénipotentiaires des quatre puissances du 3. Novembre 1815 à Paris, Annexe B, Système défensif de la confédération germanique. Art. 10, dated 3 November 1815. In: Staatsarchiv des Deutschen Bundes, published by Johann Ludwig Klüber, Vol. I, 3rd Issue, Erlangen, 1816, pp. 389–391 online at Google Books
- ^ Müller, p. 499
- ^ Printed by Philipp Anton Guido von Meyer: Corpus constitutionum Germaniae, oder Die sämmtlichen Verfassungen der Staaten Deutschlands, Frankfurt am Main, 1845, pp. 95–96 online at Google Books
- ^ s. Staatslexikon, p. 509.
- ^ Müller, p. 505
- ^ Fickler, p. 3
- ^ from 1843 to 1848 an average of 4,000 workers were employed to build the fortress, reaching a peak of 6,000; Müller, p. 501
- ^ s. www.bundesfestung-rastatt.de; retrieved 22 November 2013
- ^ Müller, p. 502
- ^ Entry online – Leo-bw; Entry in the Baden Biographies
- ^ Rößler, pp. 265–266
- ^ The State Defence Commission in Berlin decided to close the fortress as early as 1887; the imperial cabinet order was dated 4 March 1890; Karl Stiefel: Baden 1648-1952. Karlsruhe 1979, Vol. 2, p. 1027.
Literature
- Wolfgang Dreßen (ed.): 1848–1849. Bürgerkrieg in Baden: Chronik einer verlorenen Revolution. (Wagenbachs Taschenbücherei, 3). Wagenbach, Berlin, 1975, ISBN 3-8031-2003-9.
- Gunther Hildebrandt: Rastatt 1849. Eine Festung der Revolution. (Illustrated historical issue No. 6, ed. by the Zentralinstitut für Geschichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR). VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin, 1976.
- Albert Neininger: Rastatt als Residenz, Garnison und Festung. Selbstverlag, Rastatt, 1961.
- ISBN 3-87885-086-7.
- Rainer Wollenschneider, Michael Feik: Bundesfestung Rastatt. In Erinnerung an die Grundsteinlegung am 18. Oktober 1844. Schütz, Ötigheim, 1994, ISBN 3-925418-44-X.
- Karl Alois Fickler: In Rastatt 1849. Mit einem Plane von Rastatt. Rastatt 1853 online at Google Books
- Karl Leopold Frhr. Schilling v. Canstatt: Die Militärmeuterei in Baden. Die Ereignisse in Rastatt, Bruchsal, Karlsruhe, Lörrach, Freiburg, Gundelfingen, Krotzingen, Neustadt etc. enthaltend. Aus authentischen Quellen zusammengetragen von einem badischen Offizier. Karlsruhe, 1849. (Full text UB Frankfurt)
- Carl von Rotteck, Carl Theodor Welcker: Staats-Lexikon – Encyklopädie der Staatswissenschaften. 3rd edn., 4th vol., Leipzig, 1860: Deutsche Bundeskriegsverfassung, B. Die Bundesfestungen, pp. 506–514. (online in der Google-Buchsuche)
- Marco Müller: Die Bundesfestung Rastatt. In: Badische Heimat, Heft 4/2005, pp. 499–515
- Karl Josef Rößler: Kampf um den Bau und die Besatzung der Festung Rastatt. In: Die Ortenau 42 (1962), pp. 264−273 online at the University of Freiburg
- Hermann Kraemer: Rastatt im Revolutionsjahr 1848/49. Gedenkblätter zur Jahrhundertfeier. Rastatt, 1949.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Rastatt History Club: The Federal Fortress of Rastatt (Historischer Verein Rastatt: Die Bundesfestung Rastatt)
- Entry at www.rastatt.de; retrieved 1 November 2013
- Entry at www.burgerbe.de; retrieved 1 November 2013
- Freiburger Zeitung dated 13 May 1849; retrieved 4 November 2013
- Freiburger Zeitung dated 15 May 1849; retrieved 4 November 2013