In 1723 and 1728, earth quakes destroyed parts of Rastatt and parts of the Palace. A monument to Saint Alexius of Edessa, the patron saint against earth quakes, lightning and storms, in form of a fountain was therefore erected in the market square in 1739. The citizens of Rastatt were hoping to be protected from further earth quakes by this offering.
Den Brunnen plante und erbaute Peter Ernst Rohrer als Denkmal im Auftrag von Markgraf Ludwig Georg.
Children discover Rastatt:
The earth shakes in Rastatt around every 10 years. This happened again recently in 2004 and in 2011. In the baroque era, severe earth quakes happened in 1723 and on August 3, 1728 at 3:30 PM. The people of Rastatt ran into the street in a panic.
Many were afraid to stay in their houses at night. The whole town was in turmoil. Everybody was afraid of further earth quakes. Saint Alexius on his fountain in the center of town was there to protect the town from future earth quakes. The people believed this and prayed to him to protect themselves from the danger.
Earth quakes tremble the ground. This occurs when the tectonic plates that cover the earth’s crust shift. Rastatt is located in the so-called upper Rhine rift. There is a lot of tension in the earth’s crust here, because various tectonic plates rub against each other in the Alps. This has an effect as far as Rastatt. Mice, however, notice even milder earth quakes that people cannot feel.
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