4. St. Alexander Town Church
The foundation for the Catholic Parrish Church was laid at the Rastatt market square in 1702 under margrave Ludwig Wilhelm. The War of Spanish Succession (1701 – 1714) however impeded its construction.
Completion and dedication were finally celebrated in 1764 under the reign of margrave August Georg. You can find the gravestone of the architect Johann Peter Ernst Rohrer in the church’s vestibule.
Children discover Rastatt:
The church mice of St. Alexander have experienced many festive, but also many sad hours in their glorious Town Church. The church was very important for the people. The decorated churches and the altars with pictures of the holy family gave them renewed courage.
This was especially important during severe illnesses such as plagues and pestilences when no doctor could help them. The entire town was flood-stricken twice. The water rose as far as the church steps. Take a look where you can see high water marks at the base of the Town Church and calculate how long ago these events occurred.
The poor church mice of St. Alexander were good friends with the Rastatt town and palace mice. There was no pantry in the church. The church mice therefore had to live off food that was left in the church by visitors or off what they could manage to grab from the weekly market in front of the church. But they had a wonderful view of the baroque center of town from the high church tower.
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