Bad Ischl — a trip to Salzkammergut in Austria - video Dailymotion

DW (English)

The spa town of Bad Ischl in Austria's Salzkammergut region is a 2024 European Capital of Culture. The former summer residence of the Habsburgs is expecting many guests from all over.

Transcript

00:00 Bad Ischl lies in the center of the Salzkammergut.

00:04 It's a spa town and was also one of the biggest spots for stolen Nazi art during the Second World War.

00:11 And it was a summer refuge of the Habsburg Emperor.

00:14 My first stop here in Bad Ischl is the Kaiser Villa, or Emperor's Villa.

00:24 Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth, better known as Sisi, spent a lot of time here.

00:30 I mean it is a beautiful view and it would be even nicer if it wasn't this cloudy

00:37 because you can just see the tips of the mountains up there still covered in snow. Gorgeous.

00:52 A lot of history went down in this room.

00:55 This is where Franz Josef signed the Declaration of War on Serbia in 1914,

01:00 which ultimately led to the First World War.

01:03 Franz Josef loved to hunt and the walls of this villa are covered in his trophies.

01:11 The villa is still owned by Habsburg descendants, who actually live in half of the house,

01:19 while the other half and the garden are open to visitors.

01:23 And whilst we're on the topic of royalty, it's time for a visit to the Zaunerkonfektionary.

01:33 This was one of the few places allowed to sell sweets to the Imperial Court.

01:39 [Music]

01:42 So this is the famous Saunastollen, which is actually a huge slab of chocolate,

01:57 but we're just getting a couple of slices to try.

02:03 Oh, that's so good. Yeah, that one slice is definitely going to be enough. That's so rich.

02:09 It's a praline-based sweet treat that Empress Sissi herself used to eat.

02:15 Time to explore some of the cultural exhibitions on offer here, while being a European cultural capital.

02:25 The town has made a point of repurposing old spaces that were more or less unused

02:30 and is giving them new life this year.

02:33 Which is exactly what they've done with this old factory.

02:40 This huge factory used to be where a lot of the salt in the region was produced,

02:48 and now the empty space is being repurposed as a huge exhibition hall.

02:52 The theme is, fittingly, salt. Artists from all over the world have their works on display here.

02:59 This piece by a Japanese artist is made up of six tonnes of salt.

03:04 If you look at it long enough and you let your eyes unfocus, it does get a little bit trippy.

03:11 You can even give it a go yourself, although it's not quite as easy as you might think.

03:26 Exhibits use salt to create works of art that focus on the impact of humankind on nature.

03:31 They aim to create awareness around sustainability.

03:35 Before my day here in the region draws to a close, I have one last stop.

03:42 This is my final stop of the day. It's a castle that's also a brewery,

03:50 celebrating the launch of a beer that was designed in collaboration with a Nigerian artist.

03:55 Pretty cool, right? Let's go check it out.

03:57 Pop-up events like this one will take place throughout the year.

04:02 Nigerian artist Emeka Ogbo incorporates culinary experiences into his art,

04:10 and he collaborated with the Eggenberg Brewery here near Bad Ijil to create a signature beer called Endaz,

04:16 aka "Different" for the region's cultural capital status.

04:21 Honestly, the Salzkammergut is really living up to its cultural capital status.

04:26 I'd seriously recommend it. Definitely worth a visit.

04:29 Cheers!

04:30 (audience chattering)

Bad Ischl — a trip to Salzkammergut in Austria

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