Villa Hohenegg

The villa is located on a ridge that begins at Rosenkranzgasse and ends at Kroissengraben, near the Sterzens Abendsitz viewpoint. The villa is located on the grounds of the Edtbauerngut estate. The estate was first mentioned in 1700.

After various owners, the estate was sold to Franz Koch and his wife Henriette in 1894. Franz Koch was very educated, ran the Hotel Elisabeth in Bad Ischl and was mayor of Ischl from 1877 to 1894. During his term in office, the water pipe and sewerage system were built in Ischl. In 1903 he became an honorary citizen.

Koch had the old Edtbauern farmhouse demolished and built the Villa Hohenegg according to plans by Franz Drobny, an architect in Salzburg. The rooms were exquisitely furnished in Art Nouveau style. Unfortunately, the dream of this villa being his retirement home did not come true. Koch died in 1907 at the age of 68.

His widow Henriette sold the villa, and it was later owned by the Reiss family. The family was expropriated by the Nazis in 1939, but they got their property back after the war.

Today the villa has new owners. It is privately owned and not open to the public. (Source and photos: Franz Xaver Mannert)