'Nature has cradled this town - art has shaped it,' that's how poet Ricarda Huch (1864-1947) described the former imperial town of Schwäbisch Hall.

Little has this impression changed since: 'Right above you get the nicest view. The all-round view from the roof terrace of the Sudhaus across the old town of Schwäbisch Hall underneath is excelling almost everything else that Germany has to offer in terms of town- and landscapes,' Gottfried Knapp wrote in the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung in 2004.

The marvellous old town is an attraction and the setting of a wide range of cultural activities.

Hall became a festival town in 1925: The Open-air performances on the more than 500 years old stairs in front of Saint Michael's church and in the Haller Globe theatre inspire thousands of visitors every summer.

Hall is an art and museum town: two great museums of supraregional value tell history in an exciting and vivid manner: The Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum presents the culture of town and region from the Middle Ages to the modern age in exemplarily refurnished old buildings. The Hohenlohe open-air museum, comprised of more than fifty historical buildings, represents a time trip into the rural life of ages past.

The Galerie am Markt has been featuring modern art in historical ambience since 1976. The spectacular Kunsthalle Würth arts gallery has been displaying exquisite temporary exhibitions since 2001. The Hospitalers' church was opened as a branch of the Kunsthalle in 2008, maintaining the collection of old masters - another new jewel added to the cultural supply! The Virgin of Mercy by Hans Holbein has been on display there since 2012.

Schwäbisch Hall sounds fine: excellent programmes are performed by Music in Saint Michael, the Konzertgemeinde association and many other organisers. The international Jazz Art Festival, performed each year in spring, is well established.

International cultural meetings take place, p. e., in the Goethe Institute. The award of the Comburg literature stipendiate and the Literature Live series are the town's contribution to the promotion of literature. There are options for children and families any time in the year, as, for example, Gerhards' Puppet Theatre and the museum's educational programme.

The people of Schwäbisch Hall are maintaining a busy cultural life - considered an element of education, too -, whether in music, theatre, literature, art or cinematography.