Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum’s roots go back to the Historischer Verein für Württembergisch Franken (historical society), founded in Künzelsau in 1847, which collected antiquities from the region from the outset. In 1873 the society’s headquarters and collection moved to Schwäbisch Hall. After several moves, the society’s museum found a permanent home in the Hohenstaufen-era Keckenturm in the early 1930s; for the town’s 800th anniversary in 1956, it reopened after the war as the Keckenburgmuseum.

In 1981 the town of Schwäbisch Hall became a co-sponsor, the museum received its current name, and it was gradually expanded and remodeled – a process completed in 2001 with the inauguration of the Stadtmühle (town mill). Today a tour leads through seven historic buildings covering more than 3,000 square meters: the residential tower built around 1240, a rectory building from 1397, a coach house remodeled in Neoclassical style that serves as the entrance, and the 19th-century mill. The small house at Lange Straße 49 from 1470 in the Katharinenvorstadt belongs to it as a branch site.

The exhibition spans geology and prehistory, the era of the Free Imperial City, and the postwar years. Of supraregional importance are the synagogue paneling from Unterlimpurg and Steinbach painted by Elieser Sussmann in 1738/39, the ivory works of Baroque sculptor Leonhard Kern, and the Hall shooting targets. With artists’ estates, for example that of Louis Braun, and company archives, the museum is also a documentation center for Württembergisch Franken.

Highlights

• Synagogue paneling by Elieser Sussmann (1738/39)
• Ivory figures by Leonhard Kern
• Hohenstaufen-era Keckenturm (around 1240) with eight exhibition floors
• Hall shooting targets
• “Hall und das Salz” (Hall and Salt) section
• Baroque hall

Permanent exhibitions

• Keckenturm – Reichsstadt Hall – On eight floors of the residential tower: geology, prehistory and early history, the medieval town and piety, the Reformation, the Baroque, and shooting targets.
• Stadtmühle – Hall vom 19. Jahrhundert bis heute – Town history from the French Revolution to the postwar period, plus sections on salt, Jewish life, Louis Braun, and historical toys.

Operated by

Stadt Schwäbisch Hall und Historischer Verein für Württembergisch Franken

Director

Dinah Rottschäfer

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission to the permanent and special exhibitions; the museum asks for a voluntary contribution.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Due to historic preservation, only the first floor of the Keckenburg wing and the Stadtmühle are accessible – about two-thirds of the exhibition space. The media room can be reached by elevator. In addition, there is a virtual tour and the media guide.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Kids’ birthday parties

Museum game “Der kleine Keck im Turm” as an accompanying booklet (€1) with puzzles and a small surprise at the end. Family tours, monthly studio workshops (some for children aged 8 and up), and children’s birthday parties for ages 5 to 12 (90–120 minutes, up to ten children, €70–85).

Getting there & parking

By car via the A6 (Heilbronn–Nuremberg), exit Kupferzell or Schwäbisch Hall.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop at the ticket desk with catalogs, regional literature, children’s books, and replicas of exhibits.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit