New splendor for the “small residence” of Wadern
When Count Joseph Anton von Oettingen-Sötern came to power in 1751, he not only inherited his father's debt for the expansion of the Swabian ancestral seat of Hohenbaldern, but also the Dagstuhl estate. Even before he moved here in 1763, he was already making efforts to promote the economy and prestige of his new residence. He actively promoted the settlement of craftsmen and tradesmen and, in addition to Dagstuhl Castle (built 1760-1762), also had buildings such as the “Count's Castle” (1758, now part of the town hall) and the “Oettinger Schlösschen” (1759, now the town museum) erected in Wadern's town center.
Wadern becomes a “market town”
The granting of market rights on April 13, 1765 provided the rural population with an important source of income and attracted numerous traders and buyers from the region. Due to its great success, the initial four cattle markets were supplemented by additional weekly markets as early as 1769 and later increased to twelve markets. The Wadern cattle markets were particularly well known and were still among the largest in the now Prussian administrative district of Trier in the second half of the 19th century.
Change in the design of the market square
Count Joseph Anton had the first market square laid out as early as 1764, which was provided with a market fountain in 1770 and considerably extended. He made precise building regulations for the well-kept appearance of his “market square”, forbade the creation of piles of dung or rubble in open spaces and even endeavored to introduce a kind of “sweeping week”.
Due to the increasing traffic in the center of Wadern, the historic market fountain was dismantled at the end of the 1940s, stored and only rebuilt in 1963 in front of the former savings bank building. After Wadern became a town in 1978, the market square was finally redesigned and the fountain was given its current location. By dismantling modern elements, the market square, which was inaugurated in 1982, regained its historical charm
