!!!Bad Ischl

Bad Ischl, Upper Austria, town in the district of Gmunden, chartered 
1940, alt. 469 m, pop. 13,887, area 162.83 km%%sup 2/%, name 
stems from the Celtic word "Iscla", spa town (430,000 overnight stays) 
in the heart of the Salzkammergut lake district, at the confluence of 
the rivers Ischl and Traun; most important brine bath (27 % 
common salt) in Austria. District and Labour Court, office of the 
Economic Chamber, office of the Chamber of Labour, Employment 
Services, hospital, therapy centre (one of the therapy centres run by 
the province of Upper Austria) with thermal indoor brine pool 
(30° C, treatment of rheumatic and respiratory diseases, 
gall-bladder and liver complaints), congress and theatre centre, spa 
park, therapy homes, youth hostel; town museum, Lehár villa 
(with museum) and Haenel-Pancera (pianist) museum, photography museum 
of the province of Upper Austria in the "Marmorschloessl", museum of 
vehicles, technology and aviation, Bad Ischl Operetta Festival from 
July to September; cable car to the Katrinalm Mountain skiing area 
(1,542 m), golf-course; schools: Bundesgymnasium and 
Bundesrealgymnasium secondary schools, 2 commercial schools, one 
state-run, one private, commercial academy, tourism school. SMEs, 
service industry as main source of income (around 69 % of 
employed persons in 1991, esp. in the hotel and catering industry and 
in trade), some manufacturing businesses: production of shower cabins, 
traditional costumes, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, metal mining; 
Dachsteinhoehlen forestry and tourism enterprise run by the 
Oesterreichische Bundesforste AG (Austrian Federal Forests). First 
mentioned in records of 1442 as a market town; salt mining from the 
Middle Ages, upswing in the Biedermeier period (brine bath built 
around 1823), summer residence of Emperor  Franz Joseph I 
(1854-1914), therefore many buildings from the times of the monarchy, 
Lehár-Theater (1827, today a cinema), drinking hall 
(1829-1831), Kaiser Villa (renovated 1853) with landscape garden. In 
the 19%%sup th/%  century Bad Ischl was a music and theatre centre (J. 
Brahms, J. Strauss the Younger, A. Bruckner, A. Girardi, E. 
Kálmán, F.  Lehár); late Classisistic town hall, 
post office (1893), therapy centre (built 1873-1875, reconstructed 
after a fire in 1965-1966; completely renovated 1998-1999, now a 
congress and theatre centre), hospital (1908-1910, extensions were 
added in subsequent years), new therapy centre (1932, by C. 
Holzmeister); parish church of St. Nikolaus (1769-1780) with 
Gothic tower and altar-piece paintings by L. Kupelwieser (1847); 
Protestant church (1881), Calvary chapel (18%%sup th/%  century); 
Lauffen pilgrimage church (original 15%%sup th/%  century); church 
Maria an der Strasse ("Mary by the Road-Side",1956-1957) at Pfandl. 
Ischler Salzberg Mountain (680 m) with show mine in the salt mine 
near Perneck.

!Literature
Oesterreichisches Staedtebuch, vol. I, 
Oberoesterreich, 1968.


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