Museum in Bad Ischl

Hotel Austria: Sisi and Franz got engaged here

The "Hotel Austria" museum is located directly on the Esplanade(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

The former "Hotel Austria" reopens its doors on Friday - but as a completely redesigned museum of the town of Bad Ischl. Here you can experience the history of the imperial town right up to the present day, and multimedia has not been spared either. An experience for locals and visitors alike!

It has been a long time in the making, drilling and renovating - now the time has finally come: the town museum in Bad Ischl opens its doors again and invites you to take a contemporary stroll through 7,000 years of history in the Salzkammergut metropolis.

The "Hotel Austria" plaque hangs above the entrance, a reminder that guests stayed in this magnificent building on the Esplanade until 1982. Of course, it experienced its best years during the monarchy: Emperor Franz Josef and Elisabeth got engaged in this building. Archdukes also resided here.

Overview on two floors
The modern exhibition begins in the Middle Ages, then tells of the summer resort, the imperial city, the cultural life of the past, but also of the collapse of courtly Europe and the National Socialists' seizure of power and the devastating consequences. There is even a glimpse into the future. 

Many people helped together here
The aim is to appeal to locals, tourists and researchers alike. There is therefore scientific, experiential and multimedia content: "The aim was to create an atmosphere that allows visitors to immerse themselves in historical situations and understand them," explains historian Michael John. He curated the new show together with historian Herta Neiß, and the previous director Maria Sams and the Ischler Heimatverein also collaborated.

Next year, the third floor of the building will be home to an in-depth expansion, and there will also be a room in which the special exhibition "The Other Life. Photographs of Konrad Mautner" will be shown for the time being in cooperation with the Universalmuseum Joanneum, but in future it will provide space for changing exhibitions, while the city history exhibition will remain as a permanent exhibition.

The redesign was carried out by the municipality of Bad Ischl in cooperation with the Capital of Culture 2024 and the Ministry of Art. The costs amounted to around 600,000 euros.