View source for Schwäbisch Hall

{{short description|City in Baden-Württemberg, Germany}}
{{Infobox German place
|type             = Stadt
|image_coa        = Wappen Schwaebisch Hall.svg
|coordinates      = {{coord|49|6|44|N|9|44|15|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan       = Schwäbisch Hall in SHA.svg
|state            = Baden-Württemberg
|region           = Stuttgart
|district         = Schwäbisch Hall
|elevation        = 304
|area             = 104.19
|postal_code      = 74523
|area_code        =  0791, 07907 (Sulzdorf, Tüngental), 07977 (Sittenhardt, Wielandsweiler) 
|licence          = SHA, CR
|Gemeindeschlüssel= 08 1 27 076
|divisions        = ''[[Kernstadt]]'' and 8 ''[[Stadtteil]]e''
|website          = [http://www.schwaebischhall.de/ www.schwaebischhall.de]
|mayor            = Daniel Bullinger<ref name=mayor>[https://www.staatsanzeiger.de/wahl/oberbuergermeisterwahl-schwaebisch-hall-2021/ Oberbürgermeisterwahl Schwäbisch Hall 2021], Staatsanzeiger.</ref>
|leader_term      = 2021&ndash;29
|Bürgermeistertitel= Oberbürgermeister
|party            = FDP
|image_photo      = Schwäbisch Hall in winter.jpg
|image_caption    = Marktplatz at Christmas time
}}
'''Schwäbisch Hall''' ({{IPA|de|ˌʃvɛːbɪʃ ˈhal|-|De-Schwäbisch Hall.ogg}}; 'Swabian Hall'; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall''<ref name="Goethe Institute1">{{Citation|title=The city of Schwäbisch Hall|publisher =[[Goethe-Institut]]|url=http://www.goethe.de/ins/de/ort/swh/sta/enindex.htm|access-date=March 22, 2011}}</ref>) is a city in the [[States of Germany|German state]] of [[Baden-Württemberg]] located in the valley of the [[Kocher]] river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater [[Lein (Kocher)|Lein]]) of the [[Neckar]] river. The closest larger city is [[Heilbronn]], and Schwäbisch Hall lies north-east of the state capital of [[Stuttgart]]. It is the seat of the [[Schwäbisch Hall (district)|district (''Landkreis'') of Schwäbisch Hall]].

Unlike its name might suggest, [[Swabia|Schwäbisch]] Hall lies in the region of [[Heilbronn-Franconia]], the [[East Franconian]]-speaking northeasternmost part of Baden-Württemberg, which is culturally and linguistically more closely related to the adjoining region of [[Franconia]] in neighbouring [[Bavaria]] than to the [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]]-speaking regions of [[Württemberg]], [[Baden]], Switzerland, [[Bavarian Swabia]], [[Vorarlberg]], [[Alsace]] and [[Liechtenstein]].

The city's main landmarks are the market square with St Michael's Church ([[:de:St. Michael (Schwäbisch Hall)|St. Michaelskirche]]), [[Comburg|Comburg Castle]] (a former [[Benedictine]] monastery) with St Nicholas' Church ([[:de:St. Nikolaus (Comburg)|St. Nikolaus und St. Maria]]), and the Hallian-Franconian Museum ([[:de:Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum|Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum]]), dedicated to the art and history of Schwäbisch Hall and surrounding [[Heilbronn-Franconia]].

Schwäbisch Hall was a [[Free Imperial City]] within the [[Holy Roman Empire]] for five centuries until it was annexed by [[Kingdom of Württemberg|Württemberg]] in 1802.

==Etymology==
"Schwäbisch" refers to the [[Swabian League]] (German: ''Schwäbischer Bund''). The origin of the second part of the name, "Hall", is unclear. It might be derived from a [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic]] word family that means "drying something by heating it", possibly referring to the [[open-pan salt making]] method<ref>Kuno Ulshöfer, Herta Beutter (ed.): ''Hall und das Salz.'' Beiträge zur hällischen Stadt- und Salinengeschichte, Sigmaringen 1982, p. 8.</ref> used there until the [[saltworks]] closed down in 1925.<ref>{{cite web|title=Schwäbisch Hall|url=http://www.castleroad.de/showpage.php?SiteID=20&lang=2&sid=45&sel=ao|publisher=castleroad.de|access-date=March 26, 2011}}</ref>

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Schwaebisch Hall St Michael.jpg|thumb|left|St. Michael's Church]]
[[File:Blick vom Sulfer Steg zur Altstadt von Schwäbisch Hall.jpg|thumb|Houses in the centre next to the river Kocher]]
Salt was produced from [[Brine (hydrology)|brine]] by the [[Celts]] at the site of Schwäbisch Hall as early as the fifth century BCE.<ref name="History">{{Citation|title=The history of Schwäbisch Hall - an overview|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|url=https://www.schwaebischhall.de/en/welcome/history|access-date=March 23, 2021}}</ref> The town was first mentioned in a document called ''Öhringer Stiftungsbrief'' dating from 1063.<ref name="History"/> The village probably belonged first to the ''Counts of [[County of Comburg-Rothenburg|Comburg-Rothenburg]]'' and went from them to the Imperial house of [[Hohenstaufen]] (ca 1116). It was probably Emperor [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick I]] who founded the imperial mint and started the coining of the so-called ''[[Heller (money)|Heller]]''. Hall flourished through the production of salt and coins. Since 1204 it has been called a town.<ref name="History"/>

After the fall of the house of Hohenstaufen, Hall defended itself successfully against the claims of a noble family in the neighbourhood<ref name="History"/> (the ''Schenken von Limpurg''). The conflict was finally settled in 1280 by [[Rudolf I of Germany|Rudolph I of Habsburg]]; this allowed the undisturbed development into a [[Free Imperial City]] (''Reichsstadt'') of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Emperor [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV the Bavarian]] granted a constitution that settled internal conflicts (''Erste Zwietracht'') in 1340. After this, the city was governed by the inner council (''Innerer Rat'') which was composed of twelve noblemen, six "middle burghers" and eight craftsmen. The head of the council was the ''Stättmeister'' (mayor). A second phase of internal conflicts 1510–12 (''Zweite Zwietracht'') brought the dominating role of the nobility to an end. The confrontation with the noble families was started by Stättmeister ''Hermann Büschler'', whose daughter ''Anna Büschler'' is the subject of a popular book by professor [[Steven Ozment]] ("The Bürgermeister's Daughter: Scandal in a sixteenth-century German city"). The leading role was taken over by a group of families who turned into a new ruling class. Amongst them where the ''Bonhöffers'', the ancestors of [[Dietrich Bonhoeffer]].

===Middle Ages===
From the 14th to the 16th centuries, Hall systematically acquired a large territory in the surrounding area, mostly from noble families and the [[Comburg]] monastery. The wealth of this era can still be seen in some [[gothic architecture|gothic]] buildings like St. Michael's Church (rebuilt 1427–1526) with its impressive stairway (1507). The city joined the [[Protestant Reformation]] very early. [[Johannes Brenz]], a follower of [[Martin Luther]], was made pastor of St. Michael's Church in 1522 and quickly began to reform the church and the school system along Lutheran lines.

Hall suffered severely during the [[Thirty Years' War]], though it was never [[siege|besieged]] or scene of a [[battle]]. However, it was forced to pay enormous sums to the armies of the various parties, especially to the [[Holy Roman Empire|imperial]], Swedish and French troops, who also committed numerous atrocities and plundered the city and the surrounding area. Between 1634 and 1638 every fifth inhabitant died of hunger and disease, especially from the [[bubonic plague]]. The war left the city an impoverished and economically ruined place. But with the help of reorganizations of salt production and trade and a growing [[wine]] trade, there was an astonishingly fast recovery.

===17th century to early 20th century===
Fires were a constant threat to the mostly wooden houses. The great fires of 1680 and especially of 1728 destroyed much of the city, which led to new buildings in the [[Baroque]] style, such as the city hall.
[[File:Inbesitznahme der Reichsstadt Hall.jpg|thumb|The 1802 mediatization of Hall in contemporary imagery]]
The [[Napoleonic Wars]] brought the history of Hall as a Free Imperial City to an end. Following the [[Treaty of Lunéville]] (1801), the duke of [[Duchy of Württemberg|Württemberg]] was allowed by [[Napoleon]] to occupy the city and several other minor states as a compensation for territories on the [[Left Bank of the Rhine]] that fell to France. This took place in 1802 — Hall lost its territory and its political independence and became a {{lang|de|Oberamtsstadt}} (seat of an {{lang|de|Ober[[Amt (country subdivision)|amt]]}}, comparable to a [[county]]). Ownership of the salt works was handed over to the state. A long economic crisis during the 19th century forced many citizens to move to other places in Germany or to emigrate overseas, mostly to the United States. While other towns like [[Heilbronn]] grew steadily due to the [[Industrial Revolution]], the population of Hall stagnated. The economic situation improved during the second half of the 19th century — a main factor was the [[railway]] line to Heilbronn (1862) — but was not followed by a significant growth of the city. It was not until the 1920s and 1930s that new settlements were built on the heights surrounding the old town. Hall also grew through the incorporation of Steinbach (1930) and Hessental (1936).

In 1827, a health spa was established on one of the islands in the Kocher river. Especially after the building of the railway (1862) it became a considerable economical factor. The well-preserved old town also brought a rising number of tourists. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Hall has developed many festivities. Especially well known are the theatre productions which are performed every year in the centre of the city on the steps of St. Michael.

===Nazi Germany and World War II===
In 1934, Hall was officially named ''Schwäbisch Hall''. During the [[Third Reich]] a [[Luftwaffe]] [[air base]] was built at Hessental.<ref name="History"/> During [[Kristallnacht]] on 9 November 1938, local Nazis burned the synagogue in Steinbach and devastated shops and houses of Jewish citizens.<ref name="History"/> Approximately 40 Jewish citizens of Schwäbisch Hall fell victim to the [[Holocaust]] in extermination camps in Eastern Europe.<ref name="History"/> In 1944 a [[concentration camp]] was established next to the train station Hall-Hessental. The train station at Hall was targeted by an American air raid on February 23, 1945, but the devastation was mostly limited to the suburbs of St. Katharina and Unterlimpurg. The city was occupied by [[US Army]] troops on April 17, 1945, without serious resistance; though several buildings were destroyed or damaged, the historical old town suffered comparatively little.

===Post World War II===
In 1960, Schwäbisch Hall reached the status of a {{lang|de|[[Große Kreisstadt]]}}.<ref name="History"/> This means that the city took over some tasks of the district.<ref name="History"/>  From the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War, Dolan Barracks and Schwäbisch Hall Army Air Field was a [[kaserne]] which hosted a series of US Army aviation units and ordnance units until it was turned back over to German control in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Elkins|first1=Walter|title=U.S. ARMY INSTALLATIONS - HEILBRONN|url=http://www.usarmygermany.com/Sont.htm?http&&&www.usarmygermany.com/USAREUR_Kasernes.htm|website=USARMYGERMANY.COM|access-date=20 March 2016}}</ref>

==Demographics==
As of December 31, 2009, Schwäbisch Hall has a population of 36,799. The residents come from over 100 countries.<ref name="Mayorsmessage">{{Citation|title=Welcome|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/en/welcome.html|access-date=March 23, 2011}}</ref> As of December 31, 2008, there are 18,838 Protestants, 7,375 Roman Catholics and 10,234 who are either in another religion or not religious.<ref>{{cite web|title=Religion|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/Religion.391.0.html|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|access-date=March 26, 2011|language=de|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928170706/http://www.schwaebischhall.de/Religion.391.0.html|archive-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref> In 2017 Schwäbisch Hall had a population of over 39,000.

==Climate==
{{Weather box
|location = Schwäbisch Hall (1991-2020)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
| precipitation colour    = green
| Jan mean C  =1.1
| Feb mean C  =1.8
| Mar mean C  =5.4
| Apr mean C  =9.7
| May mean C  =13.7
| Jun mean C  =17.2
| Jul mean C  =19.0
| Aug mean C  =18.6
| Sep mean C  =14.2
| Oct mean C  =9.6
| Nov mean C  =5.0
| Dec mean C  =1.9
| year mean C =

| Jan precipitation mm  =74
| Feb precipitation mm  =65
| Mar precipitation mm  =71
| Apr precipitation mm  =51
| May precipitation mm  =80
| Jun precipitation mm  =78
| Jul precipitation mm  =89
| Aug precipitation mm  =71
| Sep precipitation mm  =59
| Oct precipitation mm  =75
| Nov precipitation mm  =70
| Dec precipitation mm  =89
| year precipitation mm =

|Jan sun = 55.7
|Feb sun = 81.9
|Mar sun = 134.3
|Apr sun = 185
|May sun = 210.7
|Jun sun = 225.6
|Jul sun = 240.4
|Aug sun = 226.1
|Sep sun = 168.2
|Oct sun = 110.1
|Nov sun = 59
|Dec sun = 45.5
|year sun = 1742.5
|source 1 = ''[[Deutscher Wetterdienst]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lufttemperatur: vieljährige Mittelwerte 1991 - 2020 |url=https://www.dwd.de/DE/leistungen/klimadatendeutschland/mittelwerte/temp_9120_SV_html.html?view=nasPublication&nn=771428 |website=dwd.de |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |access-date=23 February 2024|no-pp=y |language=German |trans-title=Air Temperature: Long-term averages for 1991-2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dwd.de/DE/leistungen/klimadatendeutschland/mittelwerte/nieder_9120_SV_html.html?view=nasPublication&nn=771428 |title=Niederschlag: vieljährige Mittelwerte 1991 - 2020 |access-date=23 February 2024|website=dwd.de |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |no-pp=y |language=German |trans-title=Precipitation: Long-term averages for 1991-2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dwd.de/DE/leistungen/klimadatendeutschland/mittelwerte/sonne_9120_SV_html.html?view=nasPublication&nn=771428 |title=Sonnenscheindauer: vieljährige Mittelwerte 1991 - 2020 |website=dwd.de |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |access-date=23 February 2024 |no-pp=y |language=German |trans-title=Sunshine: Long-term averages for 1991-2020 }}</ref>
}}

==Architecture==
Schwäbisch Hall has a mix of historic and modern buildings.<ref name="Mayorsmessage"/> The older are mostly medieval, and with Timber Frame, Gothic and Baroque styles dominating the city centre. The more modern are on the outskirts and suburbs, helping preserve the history of the city.

{{OSM Location map
| width=360| height=320
| coord = {{Coord|49.1122|9.7375}}              
| zoom =15
| scalemark = 10
| map-data=Q8520
|label-colorD=hard grey|label-sizeD=10| mark-sizeD=7| label-posD=right
|label1=Kunsthalle | labela1=Würth| mark-coord1={{coord|49.1107|9.73243}}| mark-title1= Kunsthalle Würth 
|label2=Feuerwehrmuseum| mark-coord2= {{coord|49.12530|9.73611}}| mark-title2=Feuerwehrmuseum
| mark-coord3= {{coord|49.11245|9.73815}}| label3=Kirche| labela3=Sankt Michael|mark-title3=Kirche Sankt Michael
| mark-coord4= {{coord|49.11321|9.73252}}| label4=Johanniter-|labela4=kirche|  label-pos4=left|mark-title4=Johanniterkirche
| mark-coord5= {{coord|49.11087|9.73702}}| label5=Hällisch- |labela5=Frankische| labelb5=Museum| mark-title5=Hällisch-Frankische Museum
| mark-coord6= {{coord|49.11237|9.7367}}| label6=City hall|  label-pos6=left|mark-title6=City hall
|arc-coordA={{coord|49.1116|9.7342}} |  arc-textA=River Kocher| arc-text-sizeA =12 | arc-text-colorA=soft blue|arc-angleA=-118| arc-gapA=2.0|arc-radiusA=0.4
}}
<gallery widths="180" heights="240">
Schwäbisch Hall - Rathaus.jpg|City hall by night
2016 - Germany (27677805373).jpg|Ensemble of houses with modern ''Kunsthalle Würth''
SH Johanniterhalle 07.JPG|Johanniterhalle, exhibition site of [[Darmstadt Madonna]]
</gallery>

==Culture==
There is an outdoor summer theatre which performs on the open-air staircase at St. Michael's Church and at the Globe Theatre.<ref name="Goethe Institute1"/> The ''Hällisch-Frankische Museum'' and the Hohenloher Freilandmuseum ([[Wackershofen open air museum]]) shows the history of the region starting from the Middle Ages.<ref name="Goethe Institute1"/>

The ''Kunsthalle Würth'', a modern art gallery, can be explored to see paintings, graphic art, and sculptures dating from the 19th century onward.<ref name="Goethe Institute1"/> Schwäbisch Hall and the surrounding area offer a plenty of leisure activities which includes sports flying, swimming, hiking and cycling.<ref name="Goethe Institute1"/>

Other parts of the city's culture include the Salt Festival where the historical salt economy of the city is celebrated, the Summer Night Festival, the Baker's Oven Festival and the Christmas Market which includes traditional handicrafts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/en/tourism/festivals-and-celebrations.html|title=Festivals and Celebrations – City Schwäbisch Hall|first=Q4U|last=GmbH|website=www.schwaebischhall.de|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref>

The town hall has a cycle of 22 murals painted by [[Livio Retti]].<gallery>
File:Schwäbisch Hall, Rathaus, Deckengemälde im Ratssaal "Sieg der Tugend über die Laster" oder "Sieg des Christentums über das Heidentum".jpg|"Victory of virtue over vices" on the ceiling of the Great Council Chamber of the City Hall, by Livio Retti.
File:Schwäbisch Hall, Rathaus, Deckengemälde im Stättmeistersaal "Allegorie der Stadt Hall und ihres Wohlstandes".jpg|Allegory of the city and its prosperity.
File:Schwäbisch Hall, Rathaus, Deckengemälde im Trausaal (Heldensaal) "Achilles, Patroclus, Hektor, Aeneas, Caesar, Pompejus, Scipio, Hannibal" o. "Achilles, Patroklos, Hektor, Aeneas, Romulus, Pompeius, Scipio, Fabius".jpg|Oil painting on the ceiling of the hero room of the city hall: Greek and Roman heroes.
</gallery>

==Education==
Schwäbisch Hall has a long tradition as a city of learning.<ref name="Schwäbisch Hall education">{{cite web|title=Schulen in Schwäbisch Hall|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/bildungsstadt/schulen.html|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|access-date=March 26, 2011|language=de}}</ref>

Schwäbisch Hall offers education opportunities through vocational schools and various technical schools. Programs are offered in schools such as Schwäbisch Hall Evangelical School of Social Work, Social Service Department of Social Professions, Protestant vocational school for the elderly, School of Alternative Education Nursing, School of Nursing and the Ayurvedic teaching and training institute, the Institute of Ayurveda and Yoga.<ref name="Schwäbisch Hall education"/>

Due to a branch of the [[Goethe-Institut]] at Schwäbisch Hall, the city attracts up to 2,000 students a year, coming from countries around the world to study the German language.<ref name="HallGoethe">{{Citation|title=Goethe-Institute|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/en/family-and-education/goethe-institute.html|access-date=March 23, 2011}}</ref>  The programs are especially popular during the summer, as college students attend the program over their break to earn credits and improve their German.

The City Archives Hall is a documentation centre, which allows for historical research and memory management.<ref name="City Archives Hall">{{cite web|title=Stadt- und Hospitalarchiv|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/buergerstadt/geschichte/stadtarchiv.html|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|access-date=March 31, 2011|language=de}}</ref> The duties of the City Archives Hall are the ordering, preparing, evaluating and management of its archives and collections, to support historical research, to collaborate in exhibitions and to publish its own or other publications on the history of Schwäbisch Hall.<ref name="City Archives Hall"/>

The archive keeps official records and files of the present city administration and its predecessors, and of collection items of different type and origin, which refer to the city, such as photographs, posters, graphics, paintings, maps and plans, or a newspaper clipping collection.<ref name="City Archives Hall"/> There are also extensive library collections in the literature on the history of Schwäbisch Hall and the region, as well as valuable historical prints.<ref name="City Archives Hall"/>

==Politics==
The Lord Mayor of Schwäbisch Hall is Daniel Bullinger, elected in July 2021.<ref name=mayor/> He succeeded Hermann-Josef Pelgrim, who had been in office since 1997.<ref name="Mayorsmessage"/> The city administration was an early mover in the migration from [[Microsoft Windows]] to [[Linux]] and [[open source software]] in the early years of the 21st century.<ref>{{cite web|title=Open Source for municipalities|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/en/welcome/linux.html|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|access-date=March 24, 2011}}</ref>

===Next scheduled elections for citizens of Schwäbisch Hall===
{{update section|date=September 2021}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Election!!Timeframe!!Length of term!!Source
|-
|Mayor||Spring 2013||8 Years||rowspan="7"|<ref>{{cite web|title=Wahlen in Schwäbisch Hall|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/buergerstadt/buergerinfo/wahlergebnisse.html|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref>
|-
|[[Bundestag|Federal]]||Autumn 2013||4 years
|-
|Ortschaftsrat||Summer 2014||5 years
|-
|Council||Summer 2014||5 years
|-
|District Council||Summer 2014||5 years
|-
|European Parliament||Summer 2014||5 years
|-
|State||Spring 2016||5 years
|}

==Economy==
Schwäbisch Hall is the most important regional economic hub between [[Frankfurt]], [[Stuttgart]] and [[Nuremberg]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Learning German in Schwäbisch Hall|publisher=Goethe Institute|url=http://www.goethe.de/ins/de/ort/swh/enindex.htm|access-date=March 22, 2011}}</ref> Formerly, salt was important to Schwäbisch Hall,<ref name="Mayorsmessage"/> but today the economy is shaped by a group of medium-sized companies,<ref name="History"/> focusing mainly on trade and services sectors.<ref name="Goethe Institute1"/> A number of businesses dealing in property finance, solar energy and telecommunications sectors also have their headquarters in Schwäbisch Hall.<ref name="Goethe Institute1"/> Notable companies are ''[[Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall AG]]'', a housing credit company, founded in 1944 and [[Recaro Aircraft Seating|RECARO Aircraft Seating]], an aircraft seats manufacturer.

Annually, there are up to 600 overnight stays in Schwäbisch Hall hotels by [[Goethe-Institut]] students.<ref name="HallGoethe"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!overnight stays!! !!Source
|-
|Total||193,213||rowspan="2"|<ref name="Economic Data">{{cite web|title=Overview of Economic Data|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/en/welcome/overview-of-economic-data.html|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|access-date=March 23, 2011}}</ref>
|-
|By foreigners||41,600
|-
!Tax rates!!Rate!!Source
|-
|Land tax A||400 v.H.||rowspan="3"|<ref name="Economic Data"/>
|-
|Land tax B||400 v.H.
|-
|Trade tax||280 v.H.
|-
!Retail trade!! !!Source
|-
|Catchment area||160,000 people||rowspan="4"|<ref name="Economic Data"/>
|-
|City SHA||305.1 Mio. Euro
|-
|Per capita||8,320 Euro
|-
|Purchasing power of the city||100.2
|-
!Employment stats!! !!Source
|-
|People employed and subjected<br />to social insurance||20,563||rowspan="7"|<ref name="Economic Data"/>
|-
|producing trade||5,188
|-
|trade, restaurants and traffic||3,424
|-
|service sector||11,951
|-
|Incoming commuters||12,119
|-
|Outgoing commuters||4,809
|-
|Unemployment rate||4.5%
|}

===Transport===

====Roads====
Schwäbisch Hall has an exit on the [[Bundesautobahn 6|Autobahn 6]] (Heilbronn–Nürnberg). Federal highways [[Bundesstraße 14|14]] (Stuttgart–Nürnberg) and [[Bundesstraße 19|19]] (Ulm–Aalen–Schwäbisch Hall–Würzburg) also run through the city.

====Railways====
[[Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental station]] is at the junction of the [[Waiblingen–Schwäbisch Hall railway]] and the [[Crailsheim–Heilbronn railway]] and [[Schwäbisch Hall station]] (the city station) is on the Crailsheim–Heilbronn railway.

====Aviation====
The city is served by two aerodromes, very close to each other, but neither offers commercial air transport. To the North of Tüngentaler Strasse is the recreational grass airfield of Weckrieden (EDTX), to the South is Adolf Würth Airport (EDTY), closely associated with the [[Würth]] group of companies and hosting their own business jet operations.

==Health==
Schwäbisch Hall has a history with [[brine]].<ref name=HealthWellness>{{cite web|title=Health and Wellness|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/en/family-and-education/health-and-wellness.html|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|access-date=March 24, 2011}}</ref> The first brine bath started in 1827.<ref name=HealthWellness/> Diakonie-Krankenhaus, with 574 beds, is the main hospital in Schwäbisch Hall.<ref name=HealthWellness/> There are 100 general practitioners, medical specialists and physiotherapists in Schwäbisch Hall.<ref name=HealthWellness/> There are health fairs such as Well-Vital Health Fair and the Haller Gesundheits- und Naturheiltagen in Schwäbisch Hall.<ref name=HealthWellness/>

==Sports==
The sports played in Schwäbisch Hall include swimming, light athletics, tennis, shooting, soccer, baseball, handball and [[Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns|American football]].<ref name="HallSports">{{Citation|title=The sports city|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|url=http://www.schwaebischhall.de/en/family-and-education/the-sports-city.html|access-date=March 23, 2011}}</ref> There are 22 sports halls and 25 outdoor playing fields.<ref name="HallSports"/> The [[Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns]] have been among the preeminent German American football teams ever since their two national championships in 2011 and 2012. The Unicorns are further notable for being the former team of [[Moritz Böhringer]].

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Schwäbisch Hall is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Schwäbisch Hall und seine Partnerstädte|url=https://www.schwaebischhall.de/de/unsere-stadt/partnerstaedte/ueberblick|website=schwaebischhall.de|publisher=Schwäbisch Hall|language=de|access-date=2021-03-23}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Épinal]], France (1964)
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Loughborough]], England, United Kingdom (1966)
*{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Lappeenranta]], Finland (1985)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Neustrelitz]], Germany (1988)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Zamość]], Poland (1989)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Balıkesir]], Turkey (2006)
*{{flagicon|IRI}} {{Citation needed span|text=[[Rasht]], Iran (2016)|reason=Rasht was not mentioned in the reference provided, needs another citation for verification|date=April 2024}}

==Notable people==
[[File:Melchiorhofmann.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Melchior Hofmann]], 1600]]
[[File:Bettina Würth.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Bettina Würth]], 2021]]
*[[Melchior Hofmann]] (around 1500–1543), anabaptist leader.<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= Hofmann, Melchior |volume= 13 | last= Gordon |first= Alexander |author-link= Alexander Gordon (Unitarian)|page= 564 |short=1}}</ref>
*[[Thomas Schweicker]] (1540–1602), armless artist, used his feet to create his art.
*[[Johann Ulrich Steigleder]] (1593–1635), [[Baroque music|Baroque]] composer and organist
*[[Friedrich David Gräter]] (1768–1830), was one of the founders of [[Scandinavian studies]] and [[Germanic philology]].
*[[Prince Frederick of Württemberg]] (1808–1870), prince from [[House of Württemberg]]
*[[Louis Braun]] (1836–1916), painter, mostly of battle scenes.<ref>{{Cite NIE |wstitle= Braun, Louis |volume= III | page= |short=1}}</ref>
*[[Otto Ruff]] (1871–1939), fluorine chemist 
*[[Maria Kiene]] (1889–1979), teacher and child welfare association head
*[[Walter Haeussermann]] (1914 in [[Künzelsau]] – 2010), German-American aerospace engineer and physicist
*[[Hans Beißwenger]] (1916–1943), [[Luftwaffe]] pilot
*[[Wolfgang Gönnenwein]] (1933–2015), conductor and music educator
*[[Kraft, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg]] (1935–2004), ninth head of the House of [[Hohenlohe-Langenburg]]. 
*[[Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg]] (1936–1997), princess from the House of [[Hohenlohe-Langenburg]]
*[[Joachim Rücker]] (born 1951), diplomat
*[[Susanne Erding-Swiridoff]] (born 1955), composer and curator.
*[[Bettina Würth]] (born 1961), Swiss billionaire businesswoman from the [[Würth]] Group.
*[[Hartmut Abendschein]] (born 1969), German – Swiss writer
*[[Heinrich Schmieder]] (1970–2010), actor

=== Sport ===
*[[Marco Sailer]] (born 1985), footballer, played over 310 games
*[[Tobias Weis]] (born 1985), footballer, played 226 games
*[[Louk Sorensen]] (born 1985), Irish former tennis player 
*[[Jonas Koch]] (born 1993), cyclist

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|Schwäbisch Hall}}
*[https://www.schwaebischhall.de/en/welcome/welcome Official website] {{in lang|en}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Hall (Germany)|display=Hall, a town of Germany, in the kingdom of Württemberg |short=x}}

{{Swabian League}}
{{Swabian Circle}}
{{Free Imperial Cities}}
{{Cities and towns in Schwäbisch Hall (district)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwabisch Hall}}
[[Category:Schwäbisch Hall| ]]
[[Category:1802 disestablishments]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1280]]
[[Category:Towns in Baden-Württemberg]]
[[Category:Former states and territories of Baden-Württemberg]]
[[Category:Schwäbisch Hall (district)]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Germany]]
[[Category:Free imperial cities]]