Bundesarchiv-Erinnerungsstätte Rastatt

About the museum

The memorial goes back to Federal President Gustav W. Heinemann, who was keen to anchor Germany's liberal democratic traditions more firmly in the awareness of the Federal Republic. On June 26, 1974, he opened it as a branch of the Bundesarchiv in Rastatt's Residenzschloss (residential palace) – deliberately at a central site of the Baden Revolution, whose final battles ended in the Rastatt fortress in 1849.

The tour on the first floor spans nine rooms, from early modern freedom movements through the social question and the years between 1789 and 1848 to the March Revolution. It covers in detail the Frankfurt National Assembly, the Basic Rights of the German People as a forerunner of the Weimar Constitution and the Basic Law, the struggle for the Imperial Constitution in 1849, and the fate of the revolutionaries who went into exile, above all to the USA.

In 2009 a second permanent exhibition on opposition and resistance in the GDR was added on the upper floor. Five rooms range from the popular uprising of June 17, 1953 through youthful nonconformity and church-related peace, environmental and human rights groups to surveillance by the Stasi, the Peaceful Revolution and German reunification. The institution sees itself as a place of democratic learning with educational programs for school classes and has been supported by a friends' association since 1995.

Since August 1, 2026, the memorial has been temporarily closed due to urgent infrastructure work; no reopening date has been set yet.

Highlights

• The Revolution of 1848/49 at a historic site
• The Paulskirche Basic Rights as a model for the Basic Law
• Exhibition on opposition and resistance in the GDR
• Place of learning of the Bundesarchiv founded by Gustav Heinemann in 1974
• Free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Freiheitsbewegungen im 19. Jahrhundert und die Revolution 1848/49 – Nine rooms ranging from early freedom movements through the March Revolution, the National Assembly and the Basic Rights to the Imperial Constitution campaign and emigration; not accessible during the closure.
• Freiheitsbewegungen in der DDR 1949–1989 – Five rooms on resistance and opposition in the GDR from June 17, 1953 to the Peaceful Revolution and reunification; not accessible during the closure.

Founded

1974

Operated by

Bundesarchiv

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission; the memorial is not included in the palace ticket.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the house rules, not all rooms are accessible; staff assist visitors with limited mobility. Assistance dogs allowed.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

Take the A 5, exit Rastatt-Nord, and the B 462 or B 3/B 36 into the city center, then turn onto Herrenstraße at the Badner Halle. GPS address: Herrenstraße 18, 76437 Rastatt.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check
• Lockers

Free cloakroom and lockers in the reception room. Exhibition catalogs €5 each.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit