If you want to walk in the footsteps of the freedom movement of 1848/49, the Revolution Trail in Rastatt is just the place for you. Starting from the castle, there are yellow and red markings in the colors of Baden that lead to prominent buildings and sites. The individual stations of the Revolution Trail are marked by information boards.
The flyer for the Revolution Trail is available at the Tourist Information Office at Rastatt Castle or can be downloaded here (847 KB).
Stations on the Revolution Trail
1. Baroque residence
Soldiers of the Rastatt garrison rebelled against their officers in the castle courtyard on May 12, 1849. During the siege of Rastatt from July 1 to 23, 1849, the revolutionary war council met in the Ahnensaal, then the Prussian Standgericht.
2. Castle restaurant
The revolutionary Amalie Struve, wife of Gustav Struve, who was imprisoned in Rastatt, stayed in the then inn "Zum grünen Berg" from mid-April to mid-May 1849.
3. Rindeschwenderhaus
Ignaz Rindeschwender (1787 - 1858), a Rastatt democrat who had already participated in the Hambach Festival in 1832, lived here.
4. Carl Schurz House
The revolutionary Carl Schurz (1829 - 1906), after his escape a senator and Secretary of the Interior of the USA, lived here during the siege of Rastatt in 1849.
5. Alois Comlossi
The property at Schlosserstraße 3 belonged to master butcher Alois Comlossi, who was sent to the Bruchsal penitentiary in 1849 for treason and later emigrated to the USA.
6. Estate of Franz Comlossi
Umbrella and comb maker Franz Comlossi and his wife Ursula were among the most committed Rastatt revolutionary forces. Their escape to Switzerland was followed by emigration to the USA.
7. Inn "Zum Wilden Mann
The innkeepers Carolina and Rochus Degen were supporters of Gustav Struve. Their inn was considered a "rallying point for the radical party". (Schlossstraße 2)
8. City Hall
On May 13, 1849, Amand Goegg had the Offenburg resolutions proclaimed from a town hall window. One day later, Lorenz Brentano swore in the soldiers lined up in front of the town hall to the imperial constitution.
9. Inn to the "Flower
The former inn was the meeting place of Rastatt democrats. The economic tenant was Fidel Frey, the owner was Josef Augenstein, a member of the constituent assembly.
10. Cultural Forum
During the shelling of the federal fortress of Rastatt by the Prussians in July 1849, Anton and Josephine Greiser were mortally wounded by a shell.
11. Ludwig-Wilhelm-Gymnasium
The later chroniclers of the Revolution, C.B.A. Fickler and Albert Förderer, were teachers and students, respectively, at the Lyceum at that time.
12. Former Rhine Gate
From here, on July 6, 1849, the enclosed revolutionaries made a spectacular sally in the direction of the present-day Rheinau district.
13. Carl Schurz Fountain
The fountain monument commemorates the escape of the revolutionary Carl Schurz from the fortress occupied by Prussia.
14. Execution site of the martial law victims
The 19 death sentences of the Standgericht were carried out between August 7 and October 20, 1849, mostly in the dry moat of the fortress.
15. Monument to those who were shot in the line of duty
It was not until 1899 that a monument to the 19 victims of the Standgericht of 1849 was allowed to be erected.
Other fortresses are located along the Upper Rhine on both the German and French sides. Many interesting and historical monuments can be accessed via the Fortress Heritage map in the PAMINA area.