Historie
The history of the building of today’s Hotel Schwert began with the completion of the model houses. Domenico Egidio Rossi planned the city to be a linear entity, with the model houses being situated at streets radiating from the castle. They were called model houses, because their height, design and construction materials were set up as a model in town-planning.1705 Margrave Louis William of Baden, called “Türkenlouis” (“Turk Louis”), relocated his residence from Baden-Baden to Rastatt. Two years later the court had to flee from the war to Ettlingen, and Rastatt was again destroyed. The Baden court returned after the Treaty of Rastatt in 1714, and with the regency of Sibylla Augusta reconstruction began. Many model houses have been changed, thus they cannot be recognised easily.
The building next to the Schlossgaststätte is still a high-class model house. It has two floors, a regular structure and a simple facade design which can be compared to the original building of Hotel Schwert before the reconstruction.
The history of the building’s owners and its tenants, operators and gastronomers is very complex and can be read in well-kept records in the Stadtarchiv (town archives) of Rastatt.
Here is an excerpt of its history:
Since 1828 Franz Berton was allowed to brew beer. He changed the model house, which had been turned into a forge at the corner of Rappenstraße, and called it “Schwert” in 1829.
After Berton’s death, his wife married K.F. Ampt, who in 1837 got a licence from the authorities. He was a brewer as well, and alongside many revolutionaries Heinrich Hansjakob was often his guest.
Between 1872 and 1889 Theodor Danecki ran the “Schwert”, which he more and more turned into a hotel. In 1875 there even was a fountain in front of the building and in 1877 Ferdinant Kusterer ran his “Factory for artificial mineral water” in a part of the building.
Around 1889 T. Danecki also run his wine trade in Hotel Schwert and he sold “Sanitätsweine” (“sanitary wine”) like Tokaji, Malaga, Port wine, Sherry and Sparkling wine.A few years later advertisements for the “Hotel-Restaurant zum Schwert” turned up in the newspapers in Rastatt. Around 1910 the Hofbrauhaus August Hatz bought the building, renovated it and extended it to the way it is today. In 1927 Hotel Schwert was called “the first hotel here” by the people of Rastatt.
After a long tradition, the hotel was renovated again in 1958 and was considered “a jewel of modern gastronomy”, visited even by famous people like Gustav Heinemann, President of Germany from 1969 to 1974.
In 1986 the hotel was sold and within two years the 22 rooms and 31 beds were turned into around 50 rooms and 100 beds. Also at this time the Schwertkeller, which had so far served as storage room, was turned into a wine tavern.
In 2008 there was a changeover in management. At this point, the long-time tenant had turned the Schwertkeller into a modern bar. Then the restaurant “Mona Lisa” was opened, which has received many awards so far.