Kaiservilla

In 1854, Emperor Franz Joseph I of the House of Habsburg, then 23 years old, married Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria, herself 16 years old and from the Wittelsbach dynasty, better known in France as "Sissi." The permission for the marriage had been granted in Ischl the previous year. This marriage provided the occasion for the construction of the Imperial Villa, which still belongs to their descendants today.

The House of Habsburg has been closely associated with Ischl (which, since 1906, has been called "Bad Ischl") for over 500 years. In 1845, Franz Joseph, then 15 years old, wrote to his mother: "Oh, how I see myself longing for my beloved, beloved Ischl!" This could be translated as: "Oh, I have loved Ischl for so long." Franz Joseph remained faithful to his "Beloved Ischl" until the end of his long life. And even today, Ischl remains faithfully linked to the memory of Franz Joseph. Indeed, while Imperial Vienna has become a museum, Imperial Ischl still celebrates the Emperor's Birthday with great pomp during the month of August, and there are still Habsburgs in the Imperial Villa.

Kaiservilla is, of course, a miniature compared to the dazzling magnificence of other Habsburg residences, such as the Hofburg and Schönbrunn Palaces in Vienna: the Villa was designed to be an intimate family retreat, far from the rigid protocol of the imperial capital.

Emperor Franz Joseph used to allow his subjects to explore the interior apartments of the Imperial Villa during his absences. This tradition has been maintained and expanded today by his descendants: the entire house and its grounds are now open to the public during the summer months, allowing visitors to experience the Villa as the Emperor and his family themselves lived and worked there.

We extend this invitation to Bad Ischl and hope that this presentation of the Imperial Villa and the evocation of its history reflect the beauty of this place, steeped in history, which witnessed the formation of part of the destiny of the modern world.

Archduke Markus Salvator von Habsburg-Lothringen