Here comes the sun - Schwäbisch Hall is Würth a visit!

This morning after breakfast came decision time: where to go for an excursion. Fortunately, we opted for Schwäbisch Hall, a delightful small city I had never visited, only seen from the train numerous times over the years. What a treat it was, and we even got to enjoy the sun!

However, in order to get there, we had to take the Autobahn A6. Your first German word of the day is STAU. We ended up in a 10km (6 mile) Stau as we headed west. People were getting out of their vehicles and walking around because we were stuck for a while. Turns out that there had been a terrible accident early in the morning, and that coupled with road construction made for a double whammy. So our one hour trip to Schwäbisch Hall ended up taking almost two hours. It is a good thing the countryside is beautiful, dotted with forests and fields and small towns with church spires popping up. We also went over a couple of tall bridges, including one that was 185m above the valley below (approximately 600 feet).

Even though Schwäbisch Hall is only 55 miles away from Neuendettelsau, it feels much farther away, because it is in a different state with a different dialect (Swabian). I am always struck by how distances seem so much farther here than they do at home. We do not think anything of traveling hundreds of miles, but here you miss out on so much.

Hall is an old word for salt, which was how the city originally built its wealth. Salt was important for preserving food in the Middle Ages and before. Sure enough, you can purchase a little bag of Swabian salt for 2 Euros at the tourist information center! So, Schwäbisch Hall means the Swabian salt city.

Once we parked, we had lunch near the Alte Brauerei (old brewery) and had a salad with Maultaschen, a Swabian regional specialty. We sat so we had a beautiful view across the river of the old city and the half-timbered buildings. It is simply a delightful and beautiful city.

After lunch we visited the first of two museums that contain part of the collection of Reinhold Würth, billionaire businessman and native of Schwäbisch Hall. Both museums are free. The first one contains collections of the Old Masters, including altar pieces, and wood carvings by the master, Tilman Riemenschneider of Würzburg (see pictures for carvings from 1505). The collection also featured famous paintings by Holbein, Cranach, and others. From there, we crossed the river and explored the old city and made our way up to the church, St. Michael, which was begun in 1165. The massive staircase in front of the church becomes a stage for open air theater in the summer – the audience gets to sit in the market square below, while the actors navigate the staircase!

We went in search of coffee and cake and were finally successful. After getting recharged, we made our way back across the river and visited the second Würth museum, this one filled with contemporary art. This museum is on the hill opposite the old city and offers spectacular views and has rotating exhibitions, since Würth’s collection has over 18,000 works. The current exhibit is called “Sport, Spaß, und Spiel” – Sport, Fun, and Games – and was quite interesting. I’m glad we split the museum visits with the walk through the old part of the city to break up the day.

Since we parked near the second museum, we hopped in the car and drove back to Neuendettelsau, this time without any STAU. Got home in time to hang a load of laundry and walk down to St. Laurentius for a concert at 8PM by a men’s choir from Romania. They were outstanding. Following the concert, two friends of Rudolf’s walked home with us and we visited until 11:30PM. All in all, a great day.

Pictures, left to right, top to bottom

Top row: Romanian choir in St. Laurentius; Würth Kunsthalle; Schwäbisch Hall

2nd row: Schwäbisch Hall, left bank; Schwäbisch Hall, old city

3rd row: Rudolf checking out fresh veggies and fruits; near Market Square

4th row: St. Michael and steps; Schwäbisch Hall, left bank; Riemenschneider (1505)

5th row: Riemenschneider (1505); with Rudolf after lunch; Schwäbisch Hall

6th row: STAU; Maultaschen with salad (potato, cucumber and carrot salad underneath)