Bad Ischl

My experience.
My city.

In the middle of mountains and lakes, Bad Ischl is a meeting place.
The facades of the Kongress & TheaterHaus tell of the spa town's long experience as an international host. A combination of regional down-to-earthness and urban cultural flair makes Bad Ischl a world-class small town.

In Bad Ischl, an entire city becomes a congress center. Between short distances there is a multitude of free spaces that make the unforgettable plannable.

 

In the center, all meeting points, hotels and locations can be reached in less than ten minutes on foot.

The proximity to airports and easy accessibility by public or private transport make the city in the geographic center of Austria a “global village” in the middle of Europe.

 

Artists, emperors and composers once enjoyed what is convincing to this day:

The stress-free atmosphere, the warm naturalness and the inspiring environment.

History

The scene of world history.

The rapidly growing importance of Ischl as a health resort around 1870 made it necessary to create a spacious setting for cultural and social events.

In 1872, the market community bought what was then known as the "chanterelle field" and, with the help of the architect Hyazinth Michel, had the Kurhaus built on it, which opened on May 30, 1875.

The elite of art and science met in the imperial summer residence, which became the center of the Danube monarchy for months every year. Festive concerts and cheerful balls were celebrated in the Kurhaus and a stage was offered to the "Who-is-who" of the time.

The First World War brought silence into the house until the masters of Viennese operetta came here in the XNUMXs and came up with their best ideas in the Ischler Luft.

The Second World War devastated all of Europe. Ischl became a hospital town and it was quiet in the house again. Twelve years after the end of the war, the city decided to redesign the building to meet the changed requirements. Unfortunately, this redesign didn't last long...

...because on February 25, 1965, a major fire largely destroyed the building. Of the rooms open to the public, only the theater hall has been preserved. The town of Bad Ischl decided on the same day to rebuild immediately. The outer facades of the surviving surrounding walls and the cupola roof truss were restored to their old form with minor deviations.

Between 1997 and 1999, the former Kurhaus was renovated at a cost of around €15 million, with the historic exterior facades remaining unchanged. The interiors have been redesigned in a contemporary and spacious way.

With the operetta "Paganini" on July 11, 1999, the house, which was renamed the Kongress & TheaterHaus Bad Ischl, was ceremonially reopened. 

An average of 120 events with a total of around 60.000 visitors / participants now take place each year.

The mix of events includes scientific and medical congresses, corporate meetings and product presentations, the performances of the Lehár Festival Bad Ischl, various cultural events, balls and events by local clubs.