The Imperial villa, with Classical colonnades, stands on the left bank of the Ischl, in a magnificent landscaped garden, the Kaiserpark. The private rooms reveal the character of Franz Joseph, who had a passion for hunting and was indifferent to modern comforts. It was here that he signed the declaration of war with Serbia on 1 August 1914. The moving Grey Salon has remained as it was on 16 July 1898, when Sissi left for Geneva where she died.