Central Hospital in Rastatt: referendum brings new hope!

Central Hospital in Rastatt: referendum brings new hope!

On July 5, 2025, it was once again shown how important citizen participation is in the region. The referendum on the planned new central clinic in Baden-Baden decided in favor of the location in Rastatt with a narrow majority of almost 55 percent. This result brings with it a new chapter for healthcare in Mittelbaden and is a topic of conversation in the city. The press officer for the SPD district association in Mittelbaden, Lukas Hornung, confirms the positive mood and looks optimistically into the future.

For the mayor of Muggensturm, Johannes Kopp, this project is truly a project of the century. “The construction of the new central hospital should move forward without delays,” said Kopp. The SPD Mittelbaden plans to closely monitor both the planning and construction processes to ensure that both schedules and costs remain within budget. Jonas Weber, the district chairman of the SPD Mittelbaden, calls for the construction to be carried out quickly in order to avoid impending cost increases.

Results of the referendum

The referendum took place on June 29, 2025 and the provisional official final result was announced shortly after 7 p.m. Voters voted “yes” with 7,514 votes (45.06 percent), while 9,161 votes (54.94 percent) rejected the project. The voter turnout was 39.91 percent, which shows that the issue concerns people in the region.

The decision concerns a resolution of the local council of November 25, 2024, which states that the city of Baden-Baden will only agree to the construction of the new central clinic if Baden-Baden is the location. This result has now been confirmed by the referendum.

The reactions

Reactions to the result are mixed. Mayor Dietmar Späth emphasized the need to move forward with the project quickly and called for unity in the city's society. The Health Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Manfred Lucha, also describes the result as a step towards modern health care. However, there is disappointment among the citizens' initiatives that advocated Baden-Baden as a location, such as the initiative "Yes! To the Baden-Baden clinic location".

The new Mittelbaden Clinic is scheduled to be operational by 2033 and include 660 beds, with comparatively high construction costs of around 700 million euros. Baden-Baden will also reduce its shareholding in the clinic from 40 to almost 30 percent. An exchange of land enables a maternity ward in the Baden-Baden area and therefore represents a compromise.

Overall, it is clear that the new central clinic will be a modern medical center for the region that can offer attractive jobs for nursing staff and doctors. Monika Müller, SPD district council member, emphasizes that the clinic will offer comprehensive medical care under one roof. This makes it clear: the city is looking into a future full of challenges, but with a clear goal in mind.

For more information on this topic, you can view the full reports Goodnews4, Baden-Baden and SWR read up.