Straus Commemorative Plaque

Oscar Straus

1870 - 1954

Oscar Straus, honorary citizen of Bad Ischl, was one of the most important operetta composers of the 20th century. His greatest successes were A Waltz Dream (Ein Walzertraum, Vienna 1907) and Three Waltzes (Drei Walzer, Zurich 1935).  

Many of Straus’s compositions for theaters in Berlin, Paris, London and New York were written in Ischl. This is because after 1912 Straus belonged to the local artists' colony, and he remained loyal to Ischl for decades, owning a villa since 1924. Notably, though, already as a child with his uncle's family, he visited Bad Ischl.

In 1938, he had to emigrate. In 1948, he and his wife returned from exile in America to Bad Ischl, this time to the Villa Vielweib (see “Villa Vielweib”), where he spent his last years.

 In 1952, the “Oscar-Straus-Kai” quay on the right bank of the river Traun was named in his honour. There is also an honorary grave for him in the Bad Ischl cemetery.

The commemorative plaque was installed in 1956.

To the grave at the cemetery