Schwäbisch Hall

2011-04-23

Schwäbisch Hall was a rich city in medieval days, for mainly one reason: They were producing salt from a brine in the city, the white gold of those times, selling it on the important salt markets in Frankfurt, Speyer, Basel and Straßburg.

Like Esslingen, my old hometown, Schwäbisch Hall was a 'Reichsstadt' (since 1280), independent of the diverse german kingdoms and counties, directly under the control of the german emperor.
In 1802 Schwäbisch Hall lost its independed state and fell to the Kingdom of Württemberg. From then on it also lost its importance and wealth, further enhanced by the fact that the main source of income - the salt - got produced cheaper from rock salt in Heilbronn.

If you're visiting Schwäbisch Hall, why don't you visit Vellberg, too, it's just 15 minutes by car.