Blog. A virtual tour of Hall in Tirol
From the museum straight to the site where the find was made
With a single click, you can start the virtual tour of the medieval town of Hall in Tyrol by visiting the website www.hall360.tirol.
The starting point for this virtual journey through time is the Hall Municipal Archaeology Museum. From the comfort of their own computer, visitors can marvel at a wide variety of exhibits, such as historical glass artefacts, ceramics, everyday objects and jewellery. For some objects, a single click reveals fascinating details. If you zoom in on the image, it feels as though you’re standing right in front of the display cases and looking inside. From the virtual urban archaeology section, you can move on to the excavation sites where the museum and its staff have previously carried out work and research. And all of this is available online! Virtual display panels are arranged in a 360-degree view, offering fascinating insights into the work of archaeologists and allowing us to immerse ourselves in the history of Hall.
The following sites are already open to visitors:
- Hall Municipal Archaeology Museum
- St Nicholas Parish Church
- St Joseph’s Chapel (Upper Town Square)
- Milsertor (near the Krippe inn)
- Schergentor (Lower Town Square)
- Latrine (Hasegg Castle Courtyard)
- Bastion building (Lower Town Square)
- St George’s Chapel (Hasegg Castle)
- Ballroom (Haller Town Hall)
- City walls
Note: A variety of symbols guide you through the virtual tour. At some points, it is also possible to jump back in time. Direct cross-fades take you from the present to the historical setting (red and white rotating arrow at the top).
Excerpt from the virtual tour of St Joseph’s Chapel
The ‘Josefskapelle’ stop on the Upper Town Square offers fascinating views both in and out. During excavations in 2009/10, archaeologists came across a 14th-century ossuary. The skeletons of at least 2,000 people were found there, preserved exactly as they had been buried. In total, the Josefskapelle has had three predecessor buildings. The last of these, the Wolfgangskapelle, built by the well-known knight Florian Waldauf, was severely damaged in the earthquake of the 17th century. This led to the construction of the present-day St Joseph’s Chapel, funded in part by donations such as those from the noble family Khuen-Belasyn-Belasy. Their family vault is located in the western part of the chapel. The wonderful and colourful ceiling fresco by the painter Paul Geyer, dating from 1698, can be admired in detail. To do so, simply zoom in on the image.
Stations associated with Maximilian
What would a tour of Hall be without following in the footsteps of Emperor Maximilian I? There are three sites in total linked to ‘Emperor Maximilian’: the Haller Tanzhaus, the Hall city walls and St George’s Chapel at Hasegg Castle.
In the reconstructed hall of the ‘Haller Tanzhaus’ – now Hall Town Hall – a video animation is on display. It depicts a little dance performed by the dinner guests of the time in the presence of the Emperor himself.
Another point of reference is the Haller city wall to the north, with its faintly visible outer bailey wall. The uppermost storey of the wall dates back to Maximilian’s time. In St George’s Chapel, too, one can travel back in time to Maximilian’s era, 500 years ago. After all, it was he who commissioned the construction of this chapel.
Former bastion building
For me, the most fascinating discovery on this virtual city tour is my workplace! Our tourist board’s building is a former bastion. The place where we work every day used to be an important defensive stronghold for the town of Hall.
A great deal of technical effort
The virtual 3D tour was developed in collaboration with Klaus Karnutsch, a photographer and multimedia designer from Hall. Spherical projections of 360-degree photographs were used in the process. What makes it special is the way it blends in elements from the past, based on the latest research findings. Viewers can move directly ‘in all directions within the image’. A zoom function allows them to examine objects in greater detail. Anyone with VR headsets (VR stands for virtual reality) can activate the VR function. The corresponding button is located at the top of the screen (VR on).
Thanks to the enormous technical effort involved in this project, an exciting and informative window into Hall’s past has now opened up for us. Work is already underway on further instalments. Further information is available at: https://www.stadtarchaeologie-hall.at/hall360tirol/