| With the reopening of the Mint at Hall in Tirol in 2003, new life was again breathed into an important piece of European history. For this is where the original taler and dollar were first minted. The first taler was minted under “Sigmund dem Münzreichen” (Sigmund the Coin Rich), and from 1750 the most important and famous silver coin in the world, the Maria-Theresien Taler.
Today, when thousands of people from all countries of the world trace the history of European coinage in the museum with its modern facilities, amazement is clearly writ large. On all sensory levels of the museum, keen experimenters can go on a journey of discovery and take a trip back in time. They are accompanied by Franz, the “coin keeper” from days long gone. True giants of minting machines bear witness to a time rich in coins. The heart of the Mint in Hall is the faithful restoration of the first roller minting machine in the world.
Climb to dizzying heights
186 steps lead up the accessible twelve-sided Münzerturm (Mint Tower) – the imposing symbol of Hall in Tirol. A breathtaking view over the Inn Valley rewards visitors who optionally choose to leave the tower on the way down by an adventurously narrow spiral staircase.
It is still possible to mint coins today, for example with the spindle press or the minting hammer, for a personal coin as a souvenir of this historic coin minting site – the cradle of the taler and the dollar. |