Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [363]
Orientation & Information
The Kocher River separates the Altstadt, on the right bank, from the Neustadt, on the left bank. The Altstadt’s main street, Neue Strasse, links Am Markt square with the river.
Tourist office ( 751 246; www.schwaebischhall.de; Am Markt 9; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat & Sun May-Sep, 9am-5pm Mon-Fri Oct-Apr) On the Altstadt’s main square.
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Sights & Activities
ALTSTADT
A leisurely saunter will take you along narrow stone alleys, among half-timbered hillside houses and up slopes overlooking the Kocher River and its weir. The islands and riverbank parks are perfect for picnics.
Am Markt springs to life with a farmers’ market every Wednesday and Saturday morning. On the square, the eye is drawn to the baroque-style Rathaus, festooned with coats of arms and cherubs, and the terracotta-hued Widmanhaus at No 4, a remnant of the 13th-century Franciscan monastery. The centrepiece is the late-Gothic, rib-vaulted Kirche St Michael. The majestic staircase out the front has been used to stage Freilichtspiele (open-air theatre performances; www.freilichtspiele-hall.de, in German) every summer since 1925.
Note the Gotischer Fischbrunnen (1509), next to the tourist office, a large iron tub once used for storing fish before sale.
Towering above Pfarrgasse, south of Am Markt, is the steep-roofed, 16th-century Neubau, built as an arsenal and granary and now used as a theatre. Ascend the stone staircase for dreamy views over red-roofed houses to the former city fortifications, the covered Roter Steg bridge and the Henkerbrücke (Hangman’s Bridge).
Down by the river, the well-curated Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum ( 751 289; Im Keckenhof; adult/student €2.50/1.50; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) traces Schwäbisch Hall’s history with its collection of shooting targets, Roman figurines, and rarities including an exquisite hand-painted wooden synagogue interior from 1738 and a 19th-century mouse guillotine.
KUNSTHALLE WÜRTH
The brainchild of industrialist Reinhold Würth, this contemporary gallery ( 946 720; www.kunst.wuerth.com; Lange Strasse 35; admission free; 10am-6pm) is housed in a striking limestone building that preserves part of a century-old brewery. Stellar temporary exhibitions have previously spotlighted the work of artists such as David Hockney, Edvard Munch and Georg Baselitz.
HOHENLOHER FREILANDMUSEUM
For a taste of the rural Swabia of yore, visit the open-air farming museum ( 971 010; adult/concession €6/4; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun May-Sep, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Mar, Apr, Oct & Nov) in Wackershofen. Alongside traditional farmhouses (some hosting demonstrations) are orchards and farmyard animals including local black-spotted pigs. It’s 6km northwest of Schwäbisch Hall and served by bus 7.
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Sleeping
Campingplatz Am Steinbacher See ( 2984; Mühlsteige 26; per person/tent €4.80/6; year-round) Overlooking a lake, this back-to-nature site is full of happy campers enjoying facilities including a playground, communal kitchen and bike tours. Take bus 4 to Steinbach Mitte.
DJH hostel ( 410 50; www.jugendherberge-schwaebisch-hall.de; Langenfelder Weg 5; dm 1st/subsequent night €20.60/17.50) A cobbled patio, barbecue area and tidy dorms make this hostel a solid choice. It’s a 10-minute stroll east of Am Markt.
Hotel Sölch ( 946 6466; www.hotel-soelch.de, in German; Hauffstrasse 14; s/d €49/72; ) A 20-minute stroll from the centre lies this simple, good-value hotel. Bread fresh from the downstairs bakery is served at breakfast.
Hotel Scholl ( 975 50; www.hotel-scholl.de; Klosterstrasse 2-4; s €69-79, d €95-115) A snazzy pick behind Am Markt, this family-run hotel has rustic-meets-modern rooms with parquet floors, flat-screen TVs, granite bathrooms and free wi-fi.
Der Adelshof ( 758 90; www.hotel-adelshof.de, in German; Am Markt 12; s €80-100, d €125-150; ) This centuries-old pad is as posh as it gets in Schwäbisch Hall, with a wellness area, gourmet restaurant and plush quarters from the blue-and-white Wedgwood room to the four-poster Turmzimmer.
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