Out of the way Germany

The small town of Schw?bisch Hall is one of the most beautiful in the region of Germany called the Swabian Jura, an area characterized by limestone plateaus and pine-forested valleys. On a train or car ride into the city, its hundreds of red-tiled roofs and soaring cathedral towers refreshingly emerge amid the green and gray scenery of the region. War bombs snubbed Schw?bisch Hall preserving its expansive, steeply sloping Altstadt (old part of the city). It's no wonder then that the few-mostly German-wide-eyed tourists who wander Hall's ancient streets whisper "Hall ist sch?n" (Hall is beautiful!) The town was built near a salt well that for 500 years was its gold mine until the Dukes of W?rttemberg took possession of Hall and its main resource in 1802. The tourist office (Am Markt 9, tel. 0791751600) next to St. Michael's Church helps tourists find rooms for free and has nice maps. A worthwhile buy-to be easily connected to all the sights-is a Tageskarte (day pass valid on all buses) that can be purchased from a bus driver for around $2.50 per day.