Hallein’s festive claim to fame is as the one-time home of Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–1863) who, together with Joseph Mohr, composed the carol Stille Nacht (Silent Night). Mohr penned the poem in 1816 and Gruber, a schoolteacher at the time, came up with the melody on his guitar. 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.
