September 30, 2026 Lehárvilla
Lehárvilla on September 27, 2026. Pianist Ralph Petruschka has been performing at the Lehárvilla for 40 years, and for the past 30 years, he has been performing every summer at the Grand Café Zauner on the Esplanade. His commitment to culture in Bad Ischl ensures that the melodies of Lehár, Liszt, and many other great composers are still heard regularly today […]
September 6, 2026, Hotel Austria
Yesterday at the Bad Ischl City Museum, Wolfram Huber focused on Stefan Zweig’s relatively unknown novella, “Die spät bezahlte Schuld” (The Debt Paid Late). The writer, who visited Bad Ischl on several occasions, left behind an extensive body of literary work, from which Huber had selected this particular story. The story centers on a doctor’s wife who, due to burnout, retreats to a […]
August 16, 2026 Lehárvilla Uncategorized
It wasn’t the Count of Luxembourg, but someone at least as famous as him—Gérard Fritz Kaiser (alias Franz Josef)—who visited us at the Lehár Villa with his enchanting Françoise and their entourage. The music, as one might expect, was provided by Ralph Petruschka. Gérard may not be a count, but he is, in fact, from Luxembourg.
August 14, 2026, Hotel Austria
Visitors were thrilled by the book presentation by renowned economic historian Roman Sandgruber, who, on the occasion of Imperial Week, focused on Franz Joseph in his latest work (now in its second edition), *Habsburg: The World’s Most Important Dynasty*.
August 6, 2026, Lehárvilla
In near-tropical temperatures, Michael Lakner, the former artistic director of the Lehár Festival, together with Ralph Petruschka at the piano in the “Lehárgarten,” captivated us with his commentary and background information on Lehár’s operetta *Der Zarewitsch*. This is a format that will certainly be continued. July 16, 2026, Lehárvilla
August 4, 2026 Hotel Austria
The young museum visitors were thrilled by our popular summer program “Night at the Museum” on August 4 at the Hotel Austria, Bad Ischl’s city museum. Together with 17 children, after a workshop on summer retreats, they used flashlights to explore hidden treasures in the storage area and archives, listened to stories, and enjoyed pizza in the museum garden. As for sleeping, that was the last thing on their minds […]
June 3, 2026 Hotel Austria
Under the title “Between Borders and Light – Freedom of Art,” which will be presented in two acts, we opened the Kunstforum Salzkammergut exhibition at the Hotel Austria. In the first act, which runs from June 3 to July 12, Franz Hofer-Langwies, Silvia Radner, Ingeborg Rauss, Veronika Laimer-Hubmann, Markus Treml, Stephan Unterberger, and […]
May 7, 2026 Lehárvilla
Even before Franz Lehár became famous as one of the most important operetta composers, he was conducting as a military bandmaster in 1901. Eleven early recordings were made during this period. Kai-Uwe Garrels, who discovered these musical rarities, presents these unique historical documents to an enthusiastic audience.
February 13, 2026 Hotel Austria
With her insights into the historic villas of Bad Ischl, author Marie-Theres Arnbom completely captivated us; we could have listened to her for hours. This allowed visitors to spend an afternoon transported back to the era of summer retreats in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The book is available in our museum shop.
February 5, 2026 Hotel Austria
There was a large turnout at the opening of the exhibition, curated by artist Renate Moran and launched in collaboration with the MUTmacherinnen. On display are works by renowned artists who explore the theme of courage in all its facets. The exhibition is free to view during Hotel Austria’s opening hours. Mayor Ines Schiller called […]
January 30, 2026 Hotel Austria Lehárvilla
In her dissertation, Andrea Elisabeth Pilz focused on Franz Lehár’s late works. At a small but intimate event, she presented her findings and got us in the mood for *Friederike*, *Schön ist die Welt*, and *Das Land des Lächelns* with numerous audio clips and excerpts from the librettos. Over a glass of sparkling wine and with the chance to have her book signed, […]
January 25, 2026 Lehárvilla
Visitors were thoroughly delighted at the Sunday matinee at the Lehár Villa. In high spirits after a glass of sparkling wine, they began an in-depth guided tour of the villa. In Lehár’s two studies, his world-famous operetta melodies rang out, played on the very pianos on which they were composed. An exclusive experience for a maximum of 15 guests at a time, held every other Sunday […]
July 30, 2025 Hotel Austria
Author Christoph Brandhuber, together with Herta Neiß, wittily hosted the evening and told numerous stories about famous historic Ischl hotels and their owner families from the summer resort era. At the end of the evening at the hotel bar, there was further discussion about various personalities from the hotel and catering industry. The book is available in both museum stores.
July 18, 2025 Hotel Austria
In front of a full house, we presented our new Lehár catalog, which was published by Böhlau in Vienna and is available in our store. The event was musically accompanied by Ralf Petruschka on the piano as well as the wonderful soprano Miriam Portmann and the powerful-voiced tenor Yichi Xu, who are currently performing in "Eine Nacht in Venedig" at the Lehárfestival Bad [...]
May 28, 2025 Hotel Austria Leharvilla
The Association of Upper Austrian Museums invited its members to a museum evening in Bad Ischl. In addition to interacting with colleagues, the program included a tour of our two buildings, the Hotel Austria and the Lehárvilla, including guided tours. Photos © Michael Söllner, Association of Upper Austrian Museums
July 19, 2024 Hotel Austria
Since July 2024, the Bad Ischl City Museum has been shining in new splendor and invites you to discover a completely redesigned exhibition. A journey through the city's eventful history, completely re-enacted and interactively designed, awaits you. From the glorious moments of the imperial era to the challenging years of the interwar period and National Socialism, to […]
May 3, 2024 Lehárvilla
In May 2024, the Lehár Villa was ceremoniously reopened and has since delighted visitors as a unique cultural gem in Bad Ischl. Numerous guests, including representatives from politics, culture, and the interested public, attended the ceremony. The Lehár Villa, once the residence of the famous operetta composer Franz Lehár, presents itself in new splendor after extensive restoration work and invites visitors to […]
Mon, Wed–Sun, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
(Closed Tue)
Guided tours of the Hotel Austria are offered every Mon, Wed–Sun at 2:00 p.m.
We will also be open until 3:00 p.m. on December 24 and December 31.
The museum will be closed on December 8, December 25, December 26, and January 1.
TU - SO 10.00 - 17.00 (April - October)
DO - FR 10.00 - 17.00 (November - March)
Visits are only possible with a guide. Maximum group size: 15 people.
Tours outside of regular opening hours are available for groups upon request.
The Lehárvilla will be closed on December 8, December 24, December 25, December 26, December 31, and January 1.
Visits outside opening hours are possible in both houses for groups of 10 people or more.
