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Rastatt Residential Palace
The first Baroque residence on the Upper Rhine

IMPRESSIONS FROM LIFE AT COURTCollections

What was daily life like at Rastatt Palace? How did its inhabitants celebrate and dine? What happened after the Treaty of Rastatt? Did Margravine Sibylla Augusta, as regent, succeed in sculpting an absolutist residence out of Rastatt and its surroundings?

Portrait of Margravine Sibylla Augusta.

Demanding tasks

A ravaged land, seven years of exile and empty coffers—Sibylla Augusta had her work cut out for her as regent.

The "mother of her state"
Retable for a side altar in Rastatt Palace Church.

Relics and sacred sites

The margravine's strict Catholic piety was both a matter of faith and a political statement.

The Catholic
Scene in the writing cabinet, exhibition in Rastatt Residential Palace.

A question of power

The peace negotiations in Rastatt were carried out between Austria and France. They ended the war between the two major European powers.

The Treaty of Rastatt
Rastatt Residential Palace.

Strictly regulated

The preparation of meals for court was outlined in great detail. The duties of the head cook and the cooks were described precisely.

The kitchen rules
Antechamber to the margravine's apartment, Rastatt Residential Palace.

To the sound of trumpets

Everyday meals as well as feasts were subject to strict ceremonial rules, which can be gleaned from the royal court regulations from the Baroque period.

The table ceremonial at the Rastatt court