Location: Upper Austria Map
Bad Ischl is a spa town in southern part of Upper Austria. The city was first mentioned in the 13th century, but it reached its high point in the nineteenth century. The city became a favorite summer residence for the Austrian Imperial family as well as a play ground for European aristocracy. Large sum of money were flowing and a small city became famous for its lavish architecture and cultural importance in Europe.
The townscape of Bad Ischl is characterized by historicist buildings, particularly those from the Wilhelminian period. The town also calls itself the "Imperial City" in memory of Emperor Franz Joseph. Bad Ischl is a member of the Association of Small Historic Towns.
Imperial villa Bad Ischl and
Imperial Park: former summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
Museum of the City of Bad Ischl: in the former Hotel Austria
Villa Lehara:
former property of Franz Lehár
Vehicle Technology Aviation Museum
Marble Castle in the park of the Imperial Villa (retreat of Empress
Elisabeth). Photo Museum in the Marble
Palace
Ischl Railway Open-Air Museum
Haenel-Pancera Family Museum
Parish Church of St. Nicholas: first
mentioned in documents in 1344, tower from 1490, nave 1771–1780,
frescoes by Georg Mader (1877), altarpieces by Leopold Kupelwieser
(1847–1851)
Evangelical Parish Church: built 1874–1879
Calvary
Church: built 1704–1706, extended in 1779
Cross Chapel on the
Traunkai, built 1726
Parish church of Maria an der Straße: in Pfandl,
built 1956–1958
Parish church of the Assumption of Mary: in Lauffen,
built in the 15th century
Cemetery: established in 1719, expanded
several times, with resting places of important personalities such as
Leopold Hasner, Franz Lehár, Leo Perutz, Richard Tauber (memorial stone,
Richard Tauber found his final resting place in the Brompton cemetery in
London), Oscar Straus, Hilde Spiel (the gravestone names her as Hilde
Maria Flesch-Brunningen)
former Hotel Elisabeth (formerly Hotel Tallachini): opened in 1844
former Hotel Post:
former brewhouse or Pfannhaus (Kolowrat
brewhouse): built in 1834
Congress & Theaterhaus: built 1873–1875
Lehár Film Theater (Lehartheater)
New spa house / spa center (today:
Eurotherme Bad Ischl), built 1929–1931 by the architects Clemens
Holzmeister and Max Fellerer.
Plaßmühle (Niedermühle): first
mentioned in documents in the 15th century, built between 1599 and 1607.
Three-winged building with galleries. 1639 outdoor residence of
Zacharias Plaß von Mühlleiten, after whom the Niedermühle has been named
ever since.
Bräu Griebl Kellerhaus
Post office building: built in
1895
Sophiens Esplanade: built around 1830, extended in 1869
Trinkhalle: built between 1829 and 1831 by Franz Lössl, listed as a
historical monument
Villa Seilern: built in 1881, owned by the
teachers' health insurance fund, hotel operation
Villa Blumenthal: on
the road to Lauffen, shown at the World Exhibition in Chicago in 1893.
The building, made of American pitch pine, was dismantled and rebuilt in
1895 by Oskar Blumenthal in Kaltenbachau. It is therefore also known as
the "ancestor of the prefabricated house".
Old Ischl railway
bridge: demolished in 2007
Zauner confectionery: famous former k.u.k. Court confectionery
Café Ramsauer: in operation since 1826
Alt Ischler Bräu
Burg Wildenstein
Franz Karl fountain (1881)
Hasner monument (1893)
Emperor
hunting statue, unveiled in 1910, created by Georg Leisek (1869–1936)
Emperor Franz Joseph cross, erected on the Katrin in 1910
Lehár
monument (1958)
Leschetizky monument
Maria Louisen spring (1840)
Maximilian fountain: erected in 1868 in memory of Ferdinand Maximilian
of Austria, the Emperor of Mexico who was executed in 1867
Onderdonk
fountain (1951)
Rudolf monument (1839)
Stelzhamer monument
Dr.
Franz Wirer monument: (1839), founder of the first saltwater bath in Bad
Ischl
Hohenzoll waterfall
Hoisenradalm
Katrin-Alm in the Katergebirge
Rettenbachalm
Siriuskogl with Einsiedlerstein and observation tower
It is assumed that the Bad Ischl area was already inhabited in the
Hallstatt and Latène periods. In 15 BC the area became part of the
Imperium Romanum. The presence of the Romans is evidenced by two
inscription stones and scattered finds, of which one stone was lost in
the 18th century, probably in the course of church reconstruction. This,
a consecration stone to Mithras from the time after 170, contained the
reference to a statio Esc(ensis) (customs station). A Roman tombstone
from the 3rd/4th century has been preserved. Another consecration stone
was found in the nearby Kienbach gorge for the Celtic/Roman god Mars
Latobius. Noricum remained a Roman province for half a millennium. In
the course of the migration of peoples, the inner Salzkammergut probably
experienced a noticeable population decline, which, however, was
compensated for in the following period by the immigration of Bavarians
and Slavs. Under Charlemagne, these areas had already recovered, but
were thrown back by the forays of the Hungarians.
Around the year
1000, the country, which at that time belonged to the Bavarian Mark ob
der Enns, had finally recovered from the blows of destruction. The
population increased noticeably, and salt extraction was also resumed.
Through their followers, the lords of Ort, the Styrian margraves (from
1180 dukes) from the Otakare family spread their dominion over the inner
Salzkammergut in the 1st half of the 12th century. They were followed in
the hereditary path by the Babenbergs in 1192.
Since that time,
salt has again become the most important economic factor of the area now
called Ischlland.
The first tangible documentary mention of the
place was in 1262 as Iselen, later as Yschl.
When a century later, already under the rule of the Habsburgs – the
lordship of Wildenstein – a new salt mountain was discovered in Goisern
and released for mining, there was an open conflict over the salt
monopoly on the part of Archbishop Konrad IV of Salzburg.
The
archbishop's anger became even greater when the abbot Heinrich von
Admont, a Hapsburg minion, also mined salt in the Gosau Valley and
briskly operated salt extraction in Hallstatt. To have to share his salt
trade seemed unbearable to the proud archbishop, so an angry struggle
broke out for salt extraction and for the salt trade. The archbishop
filed a complaint in which he referred to the monopoly – supposedly due
only to him. However, this objection was not recognized by the Habsburg
Duke Albrecht I, which again increased the archbishop's anger. Albrecht
set up fortifications in the endangered places. For example, a guard
station, the Rudolfsturm, was built in Hallstatt, from which you could
see the country from afar.
When one day the rumor arose that the
Duke had died from the consequences of poisoning, Archbishop Konrad
prepared for the final extermination campaign against the newly created
salt pans that he hated. He had the mining sites destroyed and the
associated settlements reduced to rubble. But his triumph was not to
last long, since Albrecht I had not died at all and was now taking
revenge on the archbishop in a bloody feud.
Peace was concluded
in 1297. This agreement ushered in an era of construction and peace. New
mountains were used for salt extraction. Since 1419, Wildenstein Castle
was the seat of the – since 1452 imperial – nurses, who managed the
Habsburg salt trade.
The main town of the Ischland of this time
was Lauffen (first documented mention in 807, today the cadastral
municipality of Bad Ischl), in 1275/80, at the time of the Battle of
Dürnkrut /Jedenspeigen in 1278, with which the Salzkammergut had finally
come to Habsburg, was elevated to the market by King Rudolf I (the
oldest market of the Salzkammergut). In 1392 Duke Albrecht III granted
special rights to the village of Ischl for "special merits". Under
Emperor Frederick III, Ischl was elevated to the market in 1466. in
1656, the name 'Salzkammergut' was mentioned for the first time in a
document for the property around Bad Ischl.
In 1563 the Ischler
Salzberg was opened up by the mine in Perneck. The Pfannhaus (Saline) on
the Traun was built in 1571 (from the 19th century it was called the
Kolowrat brewhouse). For generations of Ischlers, salt thus became the
most important economic basis, in addition to the previous transport,
now also in direct production. As a result, Ischl is becoming
increasingly important compared to Lauffen. in 1595 the brine pipeline
was built from Hallstatt via Goisern to Ischl, in 1604/7 the Sudhütte
Ebensee with extension of the brine pipeline.
In the 17th century, the religious affiliation to Protestantism had to be bitterly fought for. Lutherans who had immigrated from the Archdiocese of Salzburg had to renounce their religion in the wake of the Counter-Reformation. Those who opposed the order were imprisoned or even executed. Many Protestants, such as the Barons of Racknitz, who originally lived at Schloss Pernegg, left Austria. For about 100 years, Protestantism could be suppressed by force, until the movement openly demanded its right to the free practice of religion. The request was rejected and the rebellious Protestants were asked to either convert to Catholicism or emigrate to Hungary and Transylvania (see Landler). However, since most of the affected families had been living in the Salzkammergut for generations, the majority of Lutherans remained in the country and – at least outwardly – renounced the faith. But this was only a formality, because in truth they continued to practice their religion secretly (cryptoprotestantism) until Emperor Joseph II. with the introduction of the Patent of Tolerance in 1781, Protestantism was finally officially allowed.
However, the heyday of Ischl begins, despite the economic
significance, in the 19th century. In 1821, the Viennese doctor Franz
Wirer came to Ischl and found out about the spa successes of the saline
physicist Josef Götz, who had been testing the effect of brine baths on
sick saline workers since 1807. The first about 40 (foreign) spa guests
appeared in 1822. The following year, the number of guests doubled. 1823
can be regarded as the actual year of foundation for the first Ischler
spa as a brine bath. The brine bath room (Tänzelbad), built by the salt
merchant Michael Tänzl in his house on the Traun, had to be expanded as
early as 1825.
Ischl soon became a spa town of European
importance. The number of guests who came to Ischl – including State
Chancellor Metternich and Archduke Rudolf – became increasingly larger.
in 1827, the Archducal couple Franz Karl and Sophie, the parents of the
future Emperor Franz Joseph I, stayed here for the first time. In
1827/1828 Franz and Magdalena Koch built the Posthof (Gasthof zur Post),
the first hotel of the Salzkammergut.
The peak of Ischl's heyday
was the period from 1849 to 1914, when Ischl functioned as the imperial
summer residence under Franz Joseph I. In 1853, the young emperor became
engaged to Elisabeth (Sisi) in Bavaria at the then Seeauerhaus. Today it
is the museum of the city of Bad Ischl.
Since the summer of 1863,
the important composer Anton Bruckner has always come to Ischl as a
court organist on the emperor's birthday as well as on other festive
occasions of the imperial house. Bruckner liked to call himself the
"organist of the emperor". On 31 July 1890, at the wedding of
Archduchess Marie Valerie and Archduke Franz Salvator, he played
variations on the imperial anthem on the organ, combined with the
Hallelujah from the Messiah by Georg Friedrich Händel. Then Bruckner was
invited to a dinner at the Hotel Post. On August 2, 1890, Bruckner gave
his own organ concert. He often visited his friend Attwenger. A plaque
at the parish church commemorates Bruckner's stays. There is also an
entry by Bruckner in the guestbook of the Konditorei Zauner.
Ischl was the summer residence of many other popular composers,
especially Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár and Johannes Brahms. But other
musicians of the turn of the century also regularly spent the summer
here; many of them probably also sought the proximity of the court
state. Thus, during the time of the Danube Monarchy, Ischl developed
into a meeting place for artists of world renown. Even today, operetta
weeks are organized every year during the summer months in the Kurhaus.
Important literary figures such as Mark Twain, Theodor Herzl and Franz
Werfel have also stayed in Ischl.
From 1906, Ischl was officially
listed as Bad Ischl.
On July 28, 1914, Emperor Franz Joseph I
wrote the Manifesto To My Peoples in the Imperial Villa in Bad Ischl!,
in which he declared war on the Kingdom of Serbia. This was to become
the beginning of the First World War.
In 1920, Bad Ischl was awarded the title of health resort by the state
government.
After the July putsch, the National Socialist activists
Franz Unterberger and Franz Saureis were arrested in Bad Ischl for
possession of explosives. At the trial in the Regional Court for Criminal
Cases in Vienna, they were found guilty, sentenced to death and executed on
August 20, 1934. During the time of National Socialism, they were honored
with an honorary grave at the Bad Ischl cemetery.
in 1940 Bad Ischl
was granted town status.
From February to December 1942 there was a
subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp in Bad Ischl.
After the end
of the Second World War in 1945, Bad Ischl belonged to the American
occupation zone in occupied post-war Austria. The American military
administration has set up a DP camp to house so-called displaced persons.
The camp was managed by the UNRRA.
Celebrations for the Emperor's birthday: Every year on August 18th,
the birthday of Emperor Franz Joseph I is commemorated. The program
includes, among other things, an extensive parade of historical
regiments from all over the former monarchy and a holy mass in the
parish church, which is filled to capacity, in the presence of
high-ranking representatives from politics and the church and members of
the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. The Imperial Mass, which traditionally
ends with the singing of the Imperial anthem God Save, was celebrated in
2015, for example, by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal.
Kaiserfest of the Bad Ischl Citizens' Band on the Esplanade: annually on
August 15th
Kaiserbummel in the city center: annually on August 17th
Kaisermesse in the city parish church: on August 18th
Kaiserlauf:
annually in September
Liachtbratlmontag is a local holiday in Bad
Ischl and has been listed in the UNESCO National List as part of
Austria's intangible cultural heritage since 2011.
Glöcklerlauf:
annually on January 5th
Forest bird exhibition as part of the
Salzkammergut bird-catching UNESCO cultural heritage, which was
designated in 2010
Advent in Bad Ischl
Farmers' Autumn
Every
Tuesday in summer, the Salinenmusikkapelle organizes ten spa concerts.
These have been taking place for 125 years and are an integral part of
the Ischl cultural calendar.
On the first Sunday of Advent, a
festival service dedicated to St. Barbara takes place every year. This
is accompanied by music from the Salinenmusikkapelle. The band then
offers a morning pint of your choice.
International Choir Competition
Bad Ischl
Lehár Festival Bad Ischl (Operetta Festival), annually in
summer
International Boogie ’n’ Blues Festival Shake the Lake
All
American Music Festival
Katrin Mountain Run
Other UNESCO-protected
customs from the Bad Ischl region include: Salzkammergut Vogelfang,
Ebenseer Glöcklerlauf and the Wirlinger Böllerschützen.