Schwabisch Hall is a very attractive university town with a medieval village in the center, located along the Kocher River in the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg, near the tourist favorite Rothenburg. Schwabisch Hall is a stop on Germany’s popular Castle Road. Sometimes the name of the city is shortened to simply “Hall,” which refers to a source of salt; Salt production was key to the early history of Schwabisch Hall. The Celts distilled salt as early as the 5th century BC. C.
Population
There are around 36,000 people living in Schwabisch Hall. It is easy to get around; Having a car at Schwabisch Hall is not a problem.
Bahnhof Schwäbisch Hall – Hessental is the name of the train station.
Airports
Schwabisch Hall is accessible via 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” train station at the airport, to Stuttgart. From Stuttgart Main Station, you can take the Regional Express to Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental. The total trip is approximately three hours.
Llegar a Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall is on the A6 Heilbronn-Nuremberg Autobahn. Look for the Kupferzell-Schwäbisch Hall exit and follow the signs for the ‘zentrum’.
To get to Schwabisch Hall from Munich, the route takes you through the Nürnberg Hbf.
Tourist information
You will find tourist information behind the fountain on Am Markt 9, in front of St. Michael’s church.
Where to stay
Schwabisch Hall is a small town, so you’ll want to book a hotel early if you’re going in the summer or during a festival.
HomeAway offers some country holiday homes in the county of Schwäbisch Hall if you want to stay on the castle road and enjoy the rural side of Germany.
What to see
Schwabisch Hall is a very attractive city to walk around. You’ll want to start at the church of San Miguel, which dominates the skyline, as it was built in 1156. Climb the tower for a good aerial view of the city. The 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 walk downhill to the river, following its winding path, and select one of the seven covered bridges to cross to one of the islands.
On one island there is a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe theater called the Haller Globe Theater, which has a nice beer garden in front of it, with tables scattered across the lawn.
Every year at the end of summer, the Schwäbisch Hall celebrates the night of the nights. The sprawling city park along the river is transformed into a sea of lights, and there are fireworks.
Schwabisch Hall is a wonderful and relaxing change from the more touristy Rothenburg, but it gets packed with tourists during its summer festival. On Pentecost Sunday (Pentecost, 50 days after Easter) locals dress up in historical costumes for a dance festival celebrating the old means of salt production, which made Schwabisch Hall a village rich in antiquity. It is a festival that has been going on since the 14th century!
Schwabisch Hall is quite an attractive city!
