Hall in Tirol

The historic district of Hall in Tirol is the largest preserved historic district of North Tyrol.

Altitude: 574 m asl

Hall in Tirol is located only 10 km in the west of Innsbruck in front of the impressive Bettelwurf massif. Already in 1232 AD Hall was mentioned as saline, the salt mine in the Halltal valley was one of the most flourishing branches from the 13th century to 1967. Salt was transported via the salt road to Matrei am Brenner, and it was exported to Switzerland, to the Black Forest and the area round the Rhine river. In 1303 Hall was raised to the status of city. The name of the village derives from the term “Halle” which means “city of salt workers”. The emblem of the municipality illustrates two lions with a salt barrel in the centre, referring to its long tradition as salt city.

Two peculiarities of the charming city are its historic district and the Hall Mint Museum with the Mint Tower. In 1477 the archduke Sigmund from Tyrol had the territorial mint transferred from Merano (South Tyrol) to Hall, probably due to the vicinity of the silver mines of Schwaz. In 1748 the Maria-Theresia thaler was coined about 17 million times and employed worldwide as means for payment. However, this period of time is documented in the Hall Mint Museum at Hasegg Castle, which was inaugurated in 2003. The Mint Tower can also be visited. It is inhabited by kestrels and provides a great view. Today this tower is considered to be the symbol of Hall in Tirol.

However, in the historic district, you feel like in the Middle Ages. Particularly the Obere Stadtplatz square with the townhall and the Gothic Saint Nicolas parish church conveys a particular charm to the city. As largest preserved historic district of North Tyrol it is under monumental protection. Only a stone’s throw away there is the Stiftsplatz square with the Sacred Heart basilica. Particularly interesting: the historic town of Hall is larger than the historic district of Innsbruck! More modern, but absolutely also worth to be visited, is the Kurpark of Hall with its modern tower and the park hotel. And if you plan to come the Hall just before Christmas, we absolutely recommend you to visit the Christmas market. However, also several other events are known beyond borders, such as the radish festival and the Bio Bergbauernfest (mountain farmers’ festival) as well as cultural highlights such as the Easter Festival, “Prachsalz” and the concert series “Musik plus”.

Our recommendation: in the mining museum in the historic town a walkable mine, shafts and a slide were reproduced. This place provides a better insight into life in former times, as it was like in Hall!