The most important attraction in town is this imperial villa close to the center. Emperor Franz Josef used this Biedermeier palace for 60 summers as a residence and recreation center. Highlights include the Gray Salon, where Empress Elisabeth lived and from which she left on July 16, 1898 for Switzerland, a trip that ended with her assassination. In the emperor's study, Franz Josef signed the Manifest, a declaration of war that led to World War I.