The town hall stands opposite the parish church of St. Alexander. The foundation stone was laid in 1716 and the first construction phase was completed in 1721 according to a design by Johann Michael Ludwig Rohrer. A single-storey extension at the rear of the building, which was used as a prison, was built by Peter Ernst Rohrer in 1750. an extension was added to the building in 1899.
The five-axis wide gable front faces the square between the church and the town hall. The first floor was originally an open hall and was accessible from all sides through arcades that are now walled up. Today, the first floor of the historic town hall houses an old, still-functioning clock mechanism from the town church of St. Alexander.
The town hall also houses administrative offices and the office of Lord Mayor Monika Müller. The historic town hall also houses the council chamber. Its windows were created in 1962/63 according to designs by Georg Meistermann (1911 to 1990).
Children discover Rastatt:
The mayor had his office here in the town hall in the days of the margrave. In the Baroque era, however, the sovereign was the absolute ruler who determined everything. Whatever he said, the mayor had to do.
The town hall used to have no walls on the first floor and served as a market hall in bad weather. People in Rastatt lived off bread, meat, fish, poultry and eggs and anything that could be made from grain. In summer, fruit and vegetables were also sold.
On the gable of the town hall you will find a wine or shot ladder in the coat of arms. It made it easier to unload barrels from the wagons. The wine ladder shows us that Rastatt was already an important place for the wine trade more than 500 years ago. Salt was also traded in Rastatt. Salt was very valuable and was sold at a very high price. The chef of the palace kitchen also shopped here at the Rastatt market. Farmers came to the Rastatt market with their carts from all over the surrounding area. In addition to grain, vegetables and fruit, pots, crockery, shoes, pants and shirts as well as tools for working in the fields and in the house were also on offer.
