Sophie’s Double View Villa (“Sophien Doppelblick“)

The favourite place of Emperor Franz Joseph’s mother

Whenever Archduchess Sophie of Austria (née Princess of Bavaria), mother of Emperor Franz Joseph, stayed in Ischl, she used to visit the villa or country estate with a wonderful view. The stories say that it was her favourite place, and therefore she was the name giver for the villa: “Sophie’s Double View” villa (“Sophiens Doppelblick”).

Besides being a retreat for the Austrian imperial family, the house also hosted famous artists like Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865). He painted the piece “The Dachstein from the Sophien Doppelblick at Ischl” here.

Alfred Komarek wrote four novels with the main character Daniel Käfer. The last one titled “Doppelblick” and was published in 2008. In this novel he erected a monument in the honour of the fictious residents of the house in Bad Ischl.
The Sophien Doppelblick villa is a private property.