Memorial to Those Shot by Summary Execution
Some revolutionaries had to pay for their commitment to democracy with their lives. Nineteen of them were executed in Rastatt after the end of the revolution and they were buried in unmarked graves. From 1874, they were at least provided with simple metal signs. When the citizens of Rastatt wanted to erect a memorial to them, they failed due to the resistance of the fortress commander. He was against it – and he called the shots.
Only in 1899, after the abolition of the federal fortress, was a memorial erected with the inscription "Resting place of those shot in 1849". This was pushed through by Adolf Geck, a Social Democrat. At the time of the Weimar Republic, the term "freedom fighter" was also allowed to be added – as it had previously been banned.
