The Kaiservilla in Bad Ischl, Upper Austria, was the summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth. It began as a Biedermeier villa owned by the Viennese notary Josef August Eltz. Princess Sophie of Bavaria bought it in 1853 as a wedding present for the imperial couple. The architect Antonio Legrenzi altered and expanded it, and the ensemble was completed in 1860.
Two added wings gave the building the shape of an E. The entrance, converted from the rear portion, has classical columns and tympana. The design is Neoclassical. Work could not continue in summer because the royal family was in residence.
A large English-style park surrounds the villa, with a white marble fountain by Viktor Tilgner and the sculpture Der Lauscher, given to Empress Elisabeth by Queen Victoria. Tours of the grounds are offered, and the villa is the residence of Archduke Markus Emanuel Salvator, the imperial couple's great-grandson.
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