Bad Ischl
a spa town with many historic attractions
Bad Ischl is a spa town in Austria. It lies in the southern part of Upper Austria. Bad Ischl is well known for its spa tradition, which started in 1821, when Dr. Franz Wirer visited Bad Ischl to find out more about healing effects of local water, which contains 24% of dissolved table salt.
Among the most popular historic building in this town belongs Kaiservilla, which was the residence of the emperors. The villa is surrounded by a large english landscape garden, today, the mansion is home to the Archduke Markus Habsburg, but also offers grounds tours to the public, where you can find out many interesting facts about famous Sisi. Besides the Kaiservilla, the city offers several health spas and tourist attractions like the historic Kongresshaus opened in 1875, the new Kurhaus built by Clemens Holzmeister in 1932 as well as the former residence of Franz Lehár, that he acquired in 1912 and today serves as a museum. The Saint Nicholas parish Church as first mentioned in a 1344 deed. A gondola lift runs from the town up to the Katrin alpine pasture at the altitude of 1415 m which offers a panoramic view of the Salzkammergut mountains.The ruins of Wildenstein Castle, that burnt down in 1715, are nearby.