Bad Ischl is one of the country's most fashionable spas and was the summer seat of Emperor Franz Josef for more than 60 years. The town, constructed on a peninsula between the Traun River and its tributary, the Ischl, still reflects a certain imperial conceit in its architecture, much of it left over from the heyday of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The spa establishments provide relaxing brine-sulfur mud baths, which might not be the most aromatic of experiences but supposedly are beneficial for a variety of ailments.
