The Fruchthalle is a functional building from the fortress period, built between 1852 and 1854. It served as a market, storage and festival hall. Later it also served as a fire station for many years.
Since 1993, the converted building has been inviting art lovers to the Fruchthalle Municipal Gallery. The Karlsruhe architect Helmut Bätzner took over the conversion of the building in 1990. This is how the gallery with cafeteria was created.
The listed building was given a belt of 19 majolica round window panels in bright "fruit colors" as a sign of its old and new use in the exterior area through a careful "art on the building" design. Above the entrance is a bronze head created by Jürgen Goertz depicting a muse of the fine arts.
The Städtische Galerie Fruchthalle in Rastatt regularly hosts changing solo and group exhibitions. The focus is on contemporary art and art historical works after 1945. Works from the gallery's own collection are also an integral part of the program. These are juxtaposed with young, up-and-coming positions in contemporary art.
The Rampe Fruchthalle format enables young artists and students to present their works to a wider public.
Children discover Rastatt:
The Fruchthalle was built around 170 years ago. It was the land of milk and honey for all Rastatt mouse families. Grain, for example, is stored in a fruit hall.
Ludwig, the town mouse, and his mouse friends used to stock up on supplies here for the long winter. Later, the first floor was used as a fire station. The Rastatt fire department was one of the first fire departments in Germany. During the bombardment of the town by Prussian troops in July 1849, the fire department played a major role in ensuring that there were few fires in Rastatt. The Rastatt mouse fire department is also very well known. Maello, the mouse fire chief, and Manolo, the mouse chief fireman, have had many adventures in Rastatt.
