Bad Ischl’s most famous summer guest, Emperor Franz Joseph, spent about 60 summers in the Biedermeier villa that is located in a big park.
Over many decades and into the 20th century European history was made in the Kaiservilla and Bad Ischl became the shadow capital of the powerful Danube Monarchy.
You can see the originally preserved chambers, in which Empress “Sisi” Elisabeth spent her summer months and were Emperor Franz Joseph ruled and eventually declared war to Serbia in 1914 and started WWI with it. His reasons for doing so he stated in his “To my Peoples” manifesto that was written here. On a 45-minute long guided tour you can experience the special air of past times and you can get interesting and personal information on the life of the imperial family.
Kaiservilla is surrounded by the spacious Kaiserpark that invites to longer walks and is home to the former tea house of Empress Elisabeth, the Marmorschlössl.
Can be only visited on a guided tour!