The castle and the surrounding park landscape were the wedding present of Archduchess Sophie to her son, Emperor Franz Josef, and his great love, Empress Sisi. The imperial couple spent the summer months here.
Franz Joseph described Ischl as "heaven on earth". For Empress Elisabeth, the summer residence was the place closest to that of her childhood in Possenhofen, Bavaria.
In contrast to the large residences with their museum-like character, the Kaiservilla in Ischl has remained a particularly personal and private place.
The villa belonged to the youngest daughter of Sisi, Marie Valerie, and since then has remained the property of her descendants, the Habsburg family, who still live in and honour the castle today.
The fountain in front of the Kaiservilla with its fountain figures made of white marble was designed by Viktor Tilgner (he also designed the fountain in front of the
Hermesvilla). The sculpture of precious ore, the "Listener", is a gift from the Queen of England to Empress Elisabeth. The magnificent stock of trees was severely damaged in
the summer of 2016. In the north, the transition from the wooded ridge of the Jainzen to the park is seamless.
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Sisi bust on the first floor of the villa
The "Red Salon" with the Sisi bust. It stands right in the middle between two mirrors, where Sisi used to do gymnastics.
More pictures of the rooms in the villa can be found at www.kaiservilla.at
There's the Jainzen. Much to the chagrin of her court ladies, Sisi climbed the over 600m high mountain in the morning before breakfast.
an exaggerated representation of the hunting trophies of the emperor with which the entrance area and the staircase are decorated.
