Staffelschnatzer is the nickname of the people of Rastatt, who probably liked to sit in front of their house entrances and chat from squadron to squadron, colloquially called schnatzen. Other less flattering meanings of schnatz could be spitting out and going to the toilet.
The sculpture, created in 1991 by the Austrian artist Kurt Tassotti, who lives in Mühlacker, was installed on the square behind the department store in Georgenvorstadt until 2012. The original concrete figure has since been replaced by a bronze and will be re-installed at the Schließbrücke in 2019.
Children discover Rastatt:
Most people used to have to work hard physically. There was little time to rest.
In the evenings and on weekends, when the weather was good, people sat on the front steps and chatted with their neighbors or friends. Everyone wanted to learn something new. Newspapers were still very rare, usually there was a copy at the barber. The use of electricity made inventions such as the telephone, gramophone, radio and television possible. Today, people use computers and smartphones for their contacts. But talking to each other is as important as eating and drinking.
