Schwäbisch Hall

Rathaus

Town Hall

The baroque town hall on the market square directly opposite the church of St. Michael, with its tower and richly decorated facade, is one of the most beautiful buildings of its kind in Germany. The double eagle reminds of the time of Schwäbisch Hall as a free imperial city, which lasted until 1802.

Like most of the city centre, the medieval town hall was completely destroyed by the great fire of 1728. From 1732 to 1735, a baroque new building was constructed, designed by the Ludwigsburg master builder Johann Ulrich Heim and decorated with frescoes by the Italian painter Livio Retti. After the town hall had burned down to the foundation walls shortly before the end of the Second World War, it was largely reconstructed true to the original and rededicated in 1955.

In the basement of the town hall is the valuable town library, founded in 1575.

Rathaus
Am Markt 6
74523 Schwäbisch Hall
Telefon +49 (0) 791 751-0
www.schwaebischhall.de

Pfarrkirche Sankt Michael

St. Michael's Church

St. Michael's Church, which is famous for its imposing flight of steps, towers above the market square and the entire old town of Schwäbisch Hall. More than 50 steps lead from the market square to the Romanesque vestibule, which, like parts of the west tower, is still preserved from the time of its consecration in 1156. A further 160 steps lead up the tower to the belfry with 10 bells and the former tower keeper's apartment, from which the last family only moved out in 1929. From here you can enjoy a unique view.

From 1522 to 1548 the Lutheran pupil and reformer Johannes Brenz worked as a preacher at St. Michael's. It is thanks to his careful introduction of the Reformation that there was no "iconoclasm" and that valuable objects from the late Middle Ages were preserved. The interior of the church ranges from interesting to curious: in addition to altars, paintings and lavishly designed epitaphs of leading families, the exhibits include a medieval leg room, a mammoth tooth found in 1605 and the "hunger box" from 1817.

In 2013 the church of St. Michael was awarded the European Heritage Seal.

Pfarrkirche Sankt Michael
Am Markt 1
74523 Schwäbisch Hall
Telefon +49 (0) 791 94674-120
www.schwaebischhall.de

Neubau

"New Building"

In the city structure, a mighty stone building with a five-storey roof stands out, the "new building". Planned as a gun house and granary at the highest point of the old town, its upper floors were used to store grain, while the ground floor housed the municipal cannons.

The building with the ground plan of an irregular parallelogram was completed in 1533, since 1979 it has been used as a venue for cultural and social events.

Neubau
Rosenbühl 14
74523 Schwäbisch Hall
Telefon +49 (0) 791 751-221
touristik@schwaebischhall.de
www.schwaebischhall.de

Neues Globe

"New Globe" Theatre

The New Globe is a multi-storey, rainproof and temperature-controlled open-air theatre with numerous performance options and seating for a total of 370 spectators. It is modelled on the Elizabethan Globe Theatre, but also contains elements of the Greek amphitheatre and the classical peep-box stage. The circular building allows the audience to be very close to the performers in all seats - and thanks to the pillar-free auditorium, the viewing conditions are also ideal. The movable roof allows performances in all weathers. As the roof is transparent, the New Globe retains the impression of an open-air venue even when the roof is closed.

More information (only in German)

Neues Globe
Unterwöhrd 1
74523 Schwäbisch Hall
Telefon Telefon 0791 751-600
karten@schwaebischhall.de
www.freilichtspiele-hall.de