The imperial couple & the health resort Bad Ischl
Franz Joseph seals the fate of the world in Bad Ischl
Imperial residence in Bad Ischl Their stories are inseparably entwined: The town of Bad Ischl and the imperial couple, Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth, better known as Sisi. The legend goes that the emperor owes the gift of his birth to Bad Ischl.
After suffering several miscarriages the personal physician of Princess Sophie, mother of Emperor Franz Joseph, advised her to undergo a special treatment of saline baths at Bad Ischl. Her stay at the heart of the Salzkammergut region had happy consequences. Within a few years the princess gave birth to two healthy boys. It comes as no great surprise that the heir to the throne and his brother were known as the "salt princes“ ever afterwards.
Franz Joseph continued the imperial tradition of spending the summer months at the Imperial Villa in Bad Ischl. Here he experienced many fateful moments of his life. At Number 10 Esplanade, Franz Joseph celebrated his engagement to the princess Elisabeth of Bavaria, better known as Sisi. 5 years earlier Franz Joseph – then only 18 years of age – had claimed the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A perfect and happy future seemed to be waiting for the young couple. Unfortunately fate decided that there would be many severe blows in the future of this immensely popular monarch.
Historic moments at Bad Ischl
Franz Joseph's brother Maximilian was shot in Mexico in 1867. His son Rudolph, heir to the throne, took his own life at Mayerling in 1889. In 1898 his beloved spouse Sisi was stabbed to death with a file in Geneva. After these heavy blows of fate, the emperor retreated to Bad Ischl to find solace in the activities that had brought him peace and equilibrium in the past. He went hunting in the company of only his closest confidants and political advisers. Yet Franz Joseph knew, in the turmoil that struck the Hapsburg Empire, he was the only person his diverse subjects could identify with. Dutifully he returned to his official functions. When Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne, and his wife Sophie were assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914, Franz Ferdinand arrived at the most momentous decision of his life. He signed the declaration of war on Serbia. "To my peoples!“ was the title of this historic document, written by the emperor in Bad Ischl, sealing the fate of the world in the Imperial Villa in the heart of the Salzkammergut region. A short time later World War I raged across Europe.
See the historic Imperial Villa for yourself and experience a moment of not only Austrian but the world's history. Discover the imperial city of Bad Ischl and the favourite places of Franz Joseph and Sisi close to the 4 star hotel and spa resort Goldener Ochs. Let a leisurely stroll through the picturesque town of Bad Ischl invigorate you.
Your fantastic holiday at the Hotel Goldener Ochs starts with a non-committal enquiry – send one right away and feel your holidays in Austria draw closer!
