Symmetrically opposite from the town’s Parrish Church was the City Hall. The cornerstone for the building was laid in 1716. The first construction phase was finished in 1721 using Johann Michael Ludwig Rohrer’s design.
Peter Ernst Rohrer built a one story extension on the back of the building in 1750, which was used as a jail. The five axis wide gable end is pointed in direction of the square between the church and the city hall. The main floor was originally an open hall and where there are walled in arcades today, it was accessible from all sides. An old, still functioning clockwork mechanism from the St. Alexander Town Church can be seen there today
In 1899, a new city hall extension was built. Next to the administrative offices of the office of the mayor is the chamber of the municipal council today, with the window fitted in 1962/63 according to the design by Georg Meistermann (1911 to 1990).
Children discover Rastatt:
During the time of the margraves, the mayor had his office in the city hall. However, the sovereign was the absolute ruler in the baroque period and he made all of the decisions. Even the mayor had to do what he was told.
The city hall used to have no walls on the ground floor and was used as a market hall during bad weather. The people in Rastatt ate bread, meat, fish, poultry and eggs and first and foremost anything that could be made from grains. They also had fruits and vegetables in the summer
You can see a wine- or cart ladder in the coat of arms at the gable of the city hall. This was put there to make it easier to unload barrels from transport carts with. The wine ladder shows us that Rastatt was already an important wine trading place more than 500 years ago. Salt, which was very precious and extreme expensive was also traded in Rastatt.. The chef of the Palace kitchen also bought his supplies at the Rastatt market.
Farmers came with their carts from the entire surrounding region to offer vegetables and fruit in addition to grains; they also sold pots, dishes, shoes, pants and shirts as well as work tools for use in the fields and in the house.
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