Hasegg Castle

Hasegg Castle presents a complex architectural layout reflecting its multi-century evolution. Its construction utilizes rubble masonry and incorporates both medieval defensive features and later residential and industrial adaptations. The castle sits strategically alongside the former saltworks and includes several distinctive structures reflecting its dual roles in defense and coin production.

One of the most striking features is the Münzerturm, or coin tower, completed around 1490 under Archduke Sigismund. The tower rises 45 meters high and is accessed by a spiral staircase winding through five stories of a circular base approximately 10 meters in diameter. Above this base stands a three-story twelve-sided (dodecagonal) structure topped by a matching lantern. The tower originally served as a watchpoint and clock tower for the saltworks, staffed by several guards. Its exterior bears baroque sundials and a mechanical clock, testifying to its role in timekeeping.

The Georgskapelle, built between 1515 and 1617 by Emperor Maximilian I’s order, has a unique design. A small, intimate chapel for the emperor and his close company is enclosed within a larger hall. The chapel’s side walls contain pierced openings allowing a wider congregation to attend mass outside the main chapel area. Above, an opening in the ceiling enabled the emperor to observe services from private chambers. The chapel’s apse extends outward as a delicate oriel window projecting into Münzergasse street, a feature designed so that no one would reside directly above the altar. The chapel is adorned with a net rib vault sustained by seven angelic busts displaying coats of arms from various regions and entities, including Tirol, Carinthia, Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire, Austria, Styria, and Carniola. Its entrance is an iron-plated door painted with symbols of the Order of the Golden Fleece, set within a red marble Gothic portal. Further decorative elements include 18th-century door wings and a rococo-style grille bearing the imperial eagle. The interior features rich foliate paintings, pointed arch windows with tracery, and a 19th-century rococo altar flanked by statues of saints George, Sebastian, and Florian.

During renovations in 1974, a previously hidden princely chamber was rediscovered, notable for its massive Gothic beam ceiling. Adjacent to this room’s east wall is a preserved 15th-century toilet facility, separated by a wooden door, offering insights into medieval domestic arrangements.

The vaulted cellars at the castle once served as the saltworks’ armory, featuring Gothic net vault ceilings. These underground spaces were equipped with large iron hooks traditionally used to hang leather sacks that stored gunpowder and other materials, protecting them from moisture and pests. Over time, these vaults were adapted for mint storage and later residential use.

The castle courtyard includes a coin office and workshops set into the western outer defensive wall (zwinger), constructed in 1567 to support the mint’s growing operations. The Münzerturm underwent restoration in 2005 and is notable not only as a historical structure but also as the emblem of Hall in Tirol. Its image was once featured on the Austrian ten-schilling banknote issued in 1946.

Today, Hasegg Castle’s buildings serve multiple purposes, including event spaces and a restaurant, integrated within the preserved historical fabric that reflects its long-standing connection to salt production, coin minting, and regional governance.