Hall Mint Museum. At Hasegg Castle

The Münze Hall Museum is housed in Hasegg Castle. Here, visitors can experience the development of coinage and various minting techniques. The centrepiece of the Münze Hall is the faithful replica of Tyrol’s first roller-type coin press (1571). This colossal machine was considered a technical sensation in the Middle Ages and now stands, as a unique artefact in the world, in the very same spot where its 16th-century predecessor processed around 4,000 coins a day.

The Münzerturm, the legendary landmark of the town of Hall, is also open to visitors. Individual tickets are available for the museum and the tower, as well as a combined ticket for both. Private guided tours or self-guided tours with audio guides are available in various languages.

To round off your visit, you can turn the spindle yourself and have your own personal coin struck as a little souvenir of the birthplace of the taler and the dollar.

Private museum tours are available by prior arrangement.

Hasegg Castle was built after the town was granted town status in 1303 to protect the town, the salt works (salt mining), shipping on the River Inn and to monitor the old salt road. Under Archduke Siegmund the Coin-Rich and Emperor Maximilian I, it was expanded into a stately castle.

The famous Münzerturm (Mint Tower) at Hasegg Castle is the landmark of the town of Hall. The name ‘Hasegg’ has evolved over the centuries from the term ‘Pfannhaus-Eck’. ‘Pfannhaus’ referred to the brewhouse of the saltworks.
Originally a watchtower, the Münzerturm was erected towards the end of the 15th century. The architecture is late Gothic, and a dodecagonal structure supported by twelve corbels rises above the cylindrical body of the building. This design affords superb views in all directions, including downwards. The tower is 46 metres high and has just under 200 steps. It offers a breathtaking view of Hall’s old town, the Inn Valley and the majestic backdrop of the Karwendel mountains.

The climb up the legendary Münzerturm is an unforgettable experience: light and sound effects accompany visitors on their way to the top. After the thrilling ascent to the tower lantern, further highlights await visitors on their descent. The small stair tower delights visitors with its unique triple-flight staircase and as the home of the kestrels. One floor below are the town’s archaeological exhibition rooms, which provide information on the history of Hall as well as on everyday life in the Middle Ages. As well as the fascinating falconry area and the City Archaeology Centre, visitors can marvel at the world’s largest silver thaler. The famous ‘Europataler’ is a marvel, measuring 36 cm in diameter and weighing over 20 kg of pure silver.

To mark the 2008 European Football Championship and the 500th anniversary of the first ‘European’, Emperor Maximilian I, the Hall Mint, in collaboration with the Austrian Mint, is producing the world’s largest silver taler, weighing 2008 dag, as well as 2,008 pieces of the Europa Taler in a limited edition.

This is a reproduction of the 1508 Imperial Taler with a Europe-themed inscription. The reverse side references the 2008 European Football Championship and the historical development of Europe. The design of the coin’s reverse was conceived at the Austrian Mint’s design studio under the direction of Thomas Pesendorfer, who is also regarded as the creator of the Vienna Philharmonic coin.

The coin design and the execution of the images were created by the medallist Herbert Wähner, who is also very well known in professional circles. The packaging for the ‘Silberriesen’ is produced by Werner Nuding, a master turner from Hall, using 500-year-old wood from Hasegg Castle, which was recovered during renovation work in 2007.

The internationally renowned artist Ernst Friedrich, a native of Hall, and his wife Eleonor were commissioned to design the packaging.

An emperor as a starting point: In February 1508, Maximilian I of the House of Habsburg had himself proclaimed emperor in Trento. He had been unable to reach his intended destination, the city of Rome, as the Venetians had blocked his path. However, they were unable to prevent Maximilian’s ascension to become the most powerful man in Europe. To give expression to his new title, Maximilian – who had established a centre of his power in Tyrol – had a propaganda taler struck at his mint in Hall, celebrating him as emperor.

The minting of this silver taler – which was exceptionally large even for its time (diameter approx. 60 mm) – served Maximilian’s purpose of spreading his fame throughout Europe. This included the taler’s inscription, which depicts Maximilian on horseback on the obverse and numerous coats of arms from his realm on the reverse.

The inscription reads: MAXIMILIANVS DEI GRA(tia) ROM(anorum) IMP(erator) SEMP(er) AVG(vstvs) ARCHIDVX AVSTRIE / PLVRIVMQ(ve) EVROPE PROVINCIAR(vm) REX ET PRINCEPS POTENTISIM(vs).
In other words: Maximilian, by the grace of God Emperor of the Romans, ever-expander of the Empire, Archduke of Austria / King of numerous European lands and most powerful Prince. This marks the first time the word ‘Europe’ appears on a coin.

Harmony of opposites – down to the last detail

The ‘presentation casket’ is intended to serve as both a storage container and a display piece, creating different focal points through the contrast between art and nature, the main object itself, and through action and interaction. Wood, as a living, naturally grown raw material, virtually demands to be worked with contrasts. Using wood from Hasegg Castle that is over 500 years old, former ‘wooden beams’ from the false ceilings of historic rooms are transformed into works of presentation art.
The presentation boxes are crafted by master woodturner Werner Nuding from Hall, who is also responsible for the replica of the world’s first and only roller embossing machine.

The obverse of the taler is identical to that from Maximilian’s reign in 1508. It depicts the newly crowned Emperor in armour on horseback; in his hand he holds a banner bearing the imperial symbol, the double-headed eagle.

The obverse of the taler is identical to that from Maximilian’s reign in 1508. It depicts the newly crowned Emperor on horseback in armour; in his hand he holds a banner bearing the imperial symbol, the double-headed eagle.

The inscription on the reverse is the same as that on the historic taler, but the design has been updated.
The reverse depicts significant figures from European history.

The series begins with Martin Luther, who, through his posting of the Theses and his translation of the Bible in the 16th century, symbolises the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The Reformation and Counter-Reformation that followed this event have had a lasting impact on the religious and intellectual history of Europe to this day.

The work of Antonio Vivaldi exemplifies the significance of European cultural life. The red-haired priest from Venice ranks among the greatest European composers of the 17th century.

The industrialisation of Europe, which took place in the wake of major technical innovations during the Age of Enlightenment, brought about lasting changes. These inventions include, in particular, the construction of the first steam engine in the 18th century by James Watt.

Among the major upheavals in Europe were also the constant attempts to civilise the numerous wars on the continent and replace them with a pacifist policy. Although this goal was still a long way off, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bertha von Suttner was one of the first advocates of this development in the 19th century.

However, lasting peace and economic progress were only achieved in Europe following the catastrophes of the two world wars in the second half of the 20th century. The process of European unification proved to be one of the most effective means of securing lasting peace.

These scenes are linked by the Münzerturm, the symbol of the Hall Mint, which represents both a starting point and a vision of the future: stars radiate from it as a symbol of European unification, leading into the European future of the 21st century.

To the west of Hasegg Castle, home to the Hall Mint Museum and the Mint Tower, a new attraction has been in place since early summer 2019: The two waterwheels, recreated on a 1:1 scale and each with a diameter of five metres, provided the first hydraulic drive for a coin-striking machine from 1571 onwards. As early as the Renaissance period, this made it possible to multiply the output from the era of hammer striking by means of roller striking.

The roller-striking machine was regarded as a technical sensation in the Middle Ages and was capable of striking around 4,000 coins a day. By way of comparison, a coin-striking apprentice could only produce around 300 coins a day by hand.

In the 15th century, the ‘Guldiner’ – the so-called ‘Taler currency’ – was invented; this not only facilitated economic exchange across national borders, but also gave its name to the dollar. Furthermore, the first functioning industrial coin-striking method – roller striking – was developed in Hall in Tyrol. This technology spread throughout Europe, covering a wider area than today’s eurozone, and was regarded as ‘state of the art’ for a period of over 180 years.

The roller minting machine – a technical sensation: the silver mine in Schwaz, operated by the German Fugger banking family, caused demand for silver thalers to skyrocket. The demand for new talers could no longer be met by the manual hammer-striking method, which was still the norm at the time. Consequently, efforts began to find ways to automate the minting process. Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol (1529–1595) was a great advocate of technical innovation. Under his rule, not only was the Hall Mint relocated from the town centre to Hasegg Castle, but roller minting was also introduced.

The roller-striking machine, which was powered by water, was first used in Hall in 1571 and enabled the mass production of silver coins. This form of coinage was extremely efficient and gave the mint master a significant competitive advantage. Hall thus became the first mint in the world to make the transition from a craft-based operation to an industrial one.