Rastatt

Rastatt (German: [ˈʁaʃtat]) is a town and baroque residence in the District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, 6 km (3.7 mi) above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50,000 (2011). Rastatt was an important place of the War of the Spanish Succession (Treaty of Rastatt) and the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states.

History

Until the end of the 17th century, Rastatt held little influence, but after its destruction by the French in 1689, it was rebuilt on a larger scale by Louis William, margrave of Baden, the imperial general in the Austro-Ottoman War known popularly as Türkenlouis. It then remained the residence of the margraves of Baden-Baden until 1771. It was the location of the First and Second Congress of Rastatt, the former giving rise to the Treaty of Rastatt. In the 1840s, Rastatt was surrounded by fortifications to form the fortress of Rastatt. For about 20 years previous to 1866, it was occupied by the troops of the German Confederation. The Baden revolution of 1849 began with a mutiny of soldiers at Rastatt in May 1849 under Ludwik Mieroslawski and Gustav Struve, and ended there a few weeks later with the capture of the town by the Prussians. (See The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states and History of Baden.) For some years, Rastatt was one of the strongest fortresses of the German empire, but its fortifications were dismantled in 1890.

Rastatt (district)

Rastatt is a district (Kreis) in the west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Karlsruhe, Calw, Freudenstadt and the Ortenaukreis. To the west it borders the French département Bas-Rhin. Rastatt completely surrounds the district-free city Baden-Baden.

History

The district was created in 1939 as the successor of the Oberamt Rastatt and later the Großkreis Baden. In 1973 it was merged with the majority of the neighboring district Bühl, and some small parts of the district Kehl.

Geography

The district is located in the Rhine valley. The south-east part, however, is part of the Northern Black Forest. The highest elevation is the Hornisgrinde.

Partnerships

Since 1968 the district has partnership with the Finnish city Vantaa. The partnership with the Italian Provincia di Pesaro e Urbino was started in 1996. It is twinned with Fano in Italy, New Briton in the USA and also twinned with Woking, England in 2000. It is also twinned with the Czech town from which its Princess came from during the Baroque period and for whom the summer palace was built.