Museum for the History of Arts and Culture
The Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum, located in the medieval centre of Hall, is displaying history, art and culture of the imperial town and its surroundings on more than 3000 square metres of exhibition space, spread across seven historical buildings. An informative walking tour is taking visitors from the geologic past of the region into the present age.
In the centre of the ensemble is a tower from the Staufen age, the Keckenturm, raised in 1240. This former residential tower displays on eight floors the geology, prehistory and early history but mostly material documents from the history of the imperial town of Hall. In the Stadtmühle, a former grinding mill whose architectural structure dates back to the 19th century, local history from the French revolution to the end of the 20th century and different special subjects are on display.
The collection was founded more than 160 years ago and continuously developed since by the Historical Association for Württembergian Franconia. It features exhibits of supraregional significance, such as the wood painting from the synagogues of Unterlimpurg and Steinbach, painted by Eliezer Sussmann in 1738/39, and the ivory figures of Leonard Kern from the age of the Thirty Years' War. The museum also keeps the heritage of important persons from Schwäbisch Hall and its region, for example, of Johann Friedrich Reik (1836-1970), Louis Braun (1836-1916) and Marie Sieger (1886-1970). Company archives complete the image, as for example that of Grossag. Therefore, the Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum is an important documentation centre for the history, arts and culture of the Württembergian Franconia region.
Only the ground floor of the Keckenburg tract and the Stadtmühle (approximately two thirds of the exhibition space) are accessible without barriers, due to requirements of the conservation of monuments and historic buildings.
