Schwabisch Hall - Location: Schwabisch Hall is located along the Kocher River in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Schwabisch Hall is a stop on Germany's popular Castle Road. Sometimes the name of the town is shortened to simply "Hall," referring to a fountain of salt. Salt production was key to the early history of Schwabisch Hall. Salt was distilled by the Celts as early as the fifth century BC.
Schwabisch Hall Population: There are about 36,000 people living in Schwabisch Hall.
Schwabisch Hall - Airports: Schwabisch Hall can be accessed by either the large Frankfurt/Main airport or the smaller Stuttgart airport. You can take the fast train--the ICE express train directly from the "Frankfurt-Flughafen Fernbahnhof" railway station at the airport--to Stuttgart. From the Stuttgart main station you can take the Regional Express to Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental. Total journey is approximately three hours.
Schwäbisch Hall by car: Schwäbisch Hall is on the A6 Heilbronn-Nuremberg autobahn. Look for the Kupferzell-Schwäbisch Hall exit and follow signs to the "zentrum".
Tourist Information for Schwabisch Hall: You'll find tourist information behind the fountain at Am Markt 9, in front of St. Michael's church.
Geek Information for Schwabisch Hall: The German city of Schwäbisch Hall is building its IT infrastructure entirely on SUSE LINUX - replacing a more costly Windows installation, according to SUSE.
Schwabisch Hall Attractions: Schwabisch Hall is a very attractive town to walk around in. You'll want to start at St. Michael's church, which dominates the skyline. Go up in the tower to get a good aerial view of the town. Market square, in front of the church, is where the action is, and includes a theater, gallery, several restaurants, a hotel, and numerous shops. From there you can stroll downhill to the river, following its meanders and selecting from one of seven covered bridges to cross over to one of the islands. On one island is a replica of Shakespear's globe theater called the Haller Globe theater, which has a very pleasant beer garden in front of it, with tables scattered about on the lawn.
Schwabisch Hall is a wonderful and relaxing change from more touristy Rothenburg, but fills with tourists during its summer festival. On Whitsunday (pentecost, 50 days after Easter) locals dress up in historical costume for a dance festival celebrating the old means of salt production, which made Schwabisch Hall a wealthy village in antiquity.
See our Schwabisch hall Picture Gallery.
