Schwäbisch Hall

Germany
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Schwäbisch Hall, city, Baden-Württemberg Land (state), southern Germany, on the Kocher River, east of Heilbronn. The centre of the Hohenlohe lands, a free imperial city from 1276 to 1802, it owed both its foundation and its prosperity to its saline springs and the salt trade. It retains its medieval character, with a fine marketplace, half-timbered houses, and wooden bridges. Notable landmarks are the Gothic church of St. Michael (1527, on Romanesque foundations) at the top of a magnificent Baroque flight of steps (used as a summer open-air-theatre stage), the Gothic Fish Fountain (1509), and the Rococo town hall (1731–35). The Benedictine-abbey mountain fortress of Komburg is nearby. Schwäbisch Hall is a busy cultural, administrative, and commercial centre as well as a spa and tourist destination. Manufactures include building materials, electrical goods, machinery, synthetic materials, glass, and metal products. Pop. (2005) 36,711.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.