Schwäbisch Hall: Theater, City History and Routes into the Hohenlohe Region

A staircase as landmark and stage

The famous grand staircase of St. Michael’s Church is 70 meters wide and has 53 steps. The church rises above the market square and was consecrated as a Romanesque basilica on February 10, 1156. If you are interested in historic buildings, it makes a striking starting point for exploring the city center.

Every summer, the historic Great Staircase in front of St. Michael’s becomes the stage for the Freilichtspiele Schwäbisch Hall. Since 1925, the theater has been known for outstanding open-air theater in Germany; its program includes plays, musicals and classics of world literature. The venue brings the theater experience together with the distinctive setting of the market square. Since 2019, the Neues Globe has expanded the program with year-round performances and a wide range of productions. When planning your trip, you can therefore take into account both the summer open-air venue and the theater program that runs throughout the year.

City history and art in historic buildings

The Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum is located in the medieval town center and extends across seven historic buildings. Covering more than 3,000 m², it presents the history, art and culture of the imperial city and its surroundings. Exhibits of significance beyond the region include synagogue wall panels painted by Elieser Sussmann in 1738/39, from Unterlimpurg and Steinbach. The collection also includes ivory figures by Leonard Kern from the Thirty Years’ War. The museum thus offers a perspective that ranges from regional history to individual works of art with specific origins and dates.

The private Kunsthalle Würth is run by Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG. It was built on the site of the former Löwenbrauerei in the old town and has offered a varied program there since 2001. The Johanniterkirche adds another art-historical highlight: the extensively restored 12th-century church reopened in 2008 as a museum of late medieval and modern art. It houses the «Old Masters» from the Würth Collection as well as Hans Holbein the Younger’s Madonna of Mercy. If you would like to experience art in different settings, you can plan to visit these buildings as separate themes during your stay.

Old-town tours and excursions into the outdoors

A public city tour leads through narrow lanes, across the Kocherinsel Unterwöhrd and to Haalplatz. It covers 2,500 years of history, offering a guided way to explore different parts of the historic old town.

There are also several signposted options for hiking: five of the six circular hiking trails lead directly from the city center into the surrounding area. They are suitable for family outings, school classes and hiking groups. Schwäbisch Hall’s local mountain, Einkorn, lies on the edge of the Hessental district and offers panoramic views of the Hohenlohe region. These destinations give families and hikers a range of reasons to combine the city’s history with time outdoors, without requiring them to follow a specific route.

Mountain bikers will find singletrack trails in Schwäbisch Hall, created by Trails of Hall e. V. for experienced riders. The return routes to the trailheads are signposted. This makes the trails suitable for a different group than the circular hiking trails intended for family outings. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can take into account the focus you want for your stay: theater and art, city history, hiking or challenging mountain biking.

Discover more places

More places: Crailsheim, Stimpfach, Döttingen, Mainhardt, Fichtenau, Michelbach An Der Bilz, Langenburg, Rot Am See.

For the main travel overview: Schwäbisch Hall.