Hallein’s festive claim to fame is as the one-time home of Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–1863), who composed the carol Stille Nacht (Silent Night). Joseph Mohr penned the poem and Gruber, a schoolteacher at the time, came up with the melody on his guitar in 1818. The fabled guitar takes pride of place in Gruber’s former residence, now the Stille Nacht Museum, next to Hallein’s parish church. The museum tells the story of the carol through documents and personal belongings.
Stille Nacht Museum
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