Kaiservilla

0 years and older | any weather | in summer and transition period |

The Habsburg dynasty's relationship with Ischl (Bad Ischl since 1906) goes back over 700 years, and over time it has become a matter of the heart. As a 15-year-old crown prince, Franz Joseph wrote to his mother: "Oh, how I long for dear, dear Ischl." That was in 1845, and this affection remained unchanged until the end of his long life. In return, Ischl has remained faithful to him to this day. What remains of Vienna as an "imperial town" may have museum value, but Ischl still celebrates "the emperor's birthday" on 18 August with all ceremony and great joy, and knows its imperial villa is still filled with the family life of the Habsburgs.

Of course, compared to the grandiose splendour of the Viennese residences (Hofburg, Schönbrunn), this imperial villa is a miniature edition. But that is in the nature of things: it was intended to be nothing more than a refuge where the imperial family could be among themselves, unhindered by the rigid protocol of the capital. It should be noted that its appeal therefore lies not in spectacular interiors or an entertainment programme for tourists, but in its relationship to history. Here lives the unchanged ambience of a bygone era, when the imperial court still provided the setting for that important Austrian culture and intellectuality that reached its full flowering around 1900.

The house and park are inseparably linked with the memory of Empress Elisabeth, with Sisi, as she was called in the family. She was one of the greatest beauties of the 19th century and is still considered a fascinating personality today. It was here that her inconsolable husband sought peace after she fell victim to an assassination attempt in 1898. It was here that he met with statesmen for diplomatic negotiations at the highest level, and it was here that he signed the declaration of war against Serbia in 1914, from which the First World War developed.

Emperor Franz Joseph I allowed visits to the Imperial Villa, including his private flats, when he was not in residence. His descendants have maintained this tradition in that the house and park are now accessible during the summer months. They offer the visitor the same image as once enjoyed by the Emperor and his family.

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