12 august 2019 - Bad Ischl, Kreuzplatz. Bad Ischl is best known for two reasons. Emperor Franz Joseph fell in love with Sisi - his future wife and Empress Elisabeth here. The story became widely known in popular culture thanks to Ernst Marischka`s trilogy of films: Sissi, Sissi – The Young Empress and Sissi – Fateful Years of an Empress. The couple had the summer residence here. Part of its park was Jainzenberg, the hill seen in the background of the picture. Empress used to walk there often and Emperor hunted there too. The Villa remains in the hands of Habsburg family but most of the time it`s open for tourists.
On 28th of July 1914 in this very Villa Franz Joseph declared war against Serbia. It was the beginning of what was later called World War I, conflict that directly claimed approx. 16 millions lives worldwide...