The Executioner of Hall. Guided tour
This “dramatic guided tour of Hall in seven stages”, as described by author and director Thomas Gassner, is based on Dr Heinz Moser’s publication “Die Scharfrichter von Tirol” (“The Executioners of Tyrol”) and takes a completely new approach to presenting Hall’s local history.
Hall in 1662: Othmar Krieger, formerly the executioner of Hall, recounts his daily working life, telling tales of those who were hanged and beheaded, of those who were tortured, of adulterers and other riff-raff. He is accompanied by a musician who joins him as he visits the various sites where he carried out his executions.
This special costumed guided tour through the medieval old town of Hall in Tyrol begins in Agramsgasse, leads past the ‘Geisterburg’ to the post office building, the town park, the large Cross of Christ south of the parish church, the portal of St Nicholas’s parish church, onto the Upper Town Square and finally down the Graben to the Lower Town Square.
Executioner Krieger begins each of his recollections with the following introduction:
“Dear folk!
Our crime story begins anew
lend me your ear
where it all began with love
and was lost in drama!”&”
The thread running through the entire tour is the misdeed of Mrs Roth, who is discovered by her husband engaging in an indecent act with the butcher, Mr Burger. This plotline is interrupted by numerous other misdeeds committed by the citizens of Hall, which the executioner Othmar Krieger weaves into his narratives.
The story of the Roths ends with the cuckolded husband, Roth, taking his own life; master butcher Burger is hanged, but the rope snaps due to his girth, and citizen Burger dies six months later of a "‘natural death’" due to that very girth.
This guided tour of the town, presented in the style of street theatre, lasts about an hour and conveys this fascinating chapter of Hall’s history in a particularly entertaining and engaging manner. Visitors are, in fact, provided with numerous historical facts and figures almost in passing and are also ‘quite’ involved in the tour. The personal professional recollections of the – actually ostracised – executioner shed light on the justice system, but also on everyday life in the town of Hall in Tyrol more than 300 years ago.
The guided tour is recommended for anyone aged 15 and over.
- Guided tours available on request
- Duration: approx. 1 hour
- Guided tour fee: EUR 320
- Meeting point: by arrangement
- Number of participants: max. 35 people
Benefits of guided tours in the Hall-Wattens region
- Free bus park at Augasse 1, 6060 Hall in Tyrol
- Public toilet facilities near the coach park
- Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the start of the guided tour
- Guided tours can be booked at a time of your choosing, including on Sundays and public holidays
Please note...
- ... if a group is more than 15 minutes late without prior notice, the tour will be shortened accordingly or extended for an additional charge of €50.00 per hour or part thereof.
- ... If the guided tour is cancelled within 48 hours of the scheduled time, a charge of €50.00 will be applied.
- ... If the group fails to turn up without prior notice, 100 per cent of the invoice amount will be charged.
- ... Please confirm your booked tours in writing each time.
