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290 G E k M A N r, [Hall.
Iti 1647, it was befieged by the army of the Empire for feventeen
weeks, during which it fufl'ered greatly by an accidental fire. In the year
3702, a famous compadl was entered into here between the five circles, and
the town better fortified, as being a bulwark to the circle of Franconiazg^\\\?(.
Bavaria.
The Princes and Counts of the houfe of Oettingen have for a long time
paft endeavoured to acquire the jurifdiction over its territories, which has
given rife to many and even bloody contefts. To it belong the parochialvillages
o^ Nehnnetivmnge?7, Goldburghaiifen and ^chweindorj^ and it is alfo
poflclfed of a (hare in feveral other villages.
H A L L.
The free Imperial town of Hall, otherwife c;illed Swabian-Hall, and in
Latin Hala Siievonwi, lies, together with its territories, on the river Kocher,
betwixt the counties of Ihhenkhe and Limpurg^ the margravate ol Anjpach,
thedutchy of Wurtcmbergz.n'k the priory oi Ehvangen. The town itlclf is
fo furrounded by mountains that it is not eafy to approach it, and in it and
in the fuburbs the river Kocher divides itfelf, both thefe parts being joined
by meansof a bridge of ftone. Confidered in other refpedts, this town confifts
of three parts ; namely, oiHall, ov Old-HalI , in which Hands the principal
church of St. Michael, together with the college, the hofpital, another
church and the falt-houfes, from which the town takes its name : Of the
part above Kocher, in which ftands a houfe of the order of St. John ana
the church of St. Catherine, and of the Gelbingcr gafe, or ilreet. This
city is Lutheran. The inhabitants are falt-boilers and handicraftfmen.
The magiilracy confifts of twenty-four perfons under the diredion of two
burgomafters as prefidents, who, on account of the above-mentioned divifion
of the town, are called ßadtmeißer. The city owes its original to its faltjprings,
which, it is faid, gave occafion to feveral noblemen to fettle here,
and among other buildings to eredt them feven ftone towers ; whence the
place at firft obtained the name of Siebenburgen, or Seven Caßles. Afterwards
it became gradually enlarged till it arrived to its prefent ftate, but was very
much damaged by fire in the years 1346, 1680 and 1728. In 1348 and
1387, the Emperors C/6^/7« I v. and Wcnceßam engaged to maintain the
city in its immediate dependency on the Empire, and neither to mortgage
nor fell it. In the Diet of the Empire it poflefles the ninth feat on the bench
of Imperial towns in Swabia, but the fixth among thofe of the circle. Its
alTeffment in the Imperial and circular matricula, which formerly amounted
to two hundred, and ninety-three florins and a half, was, in the year 1683,
reduced to one hundred and eighty. To the chamber at Wetzlar it is rated
at