Bad Ischl is a spa town in Austria with the most spectacular lake and mountain views. It lies in the southern part of Upper Austria, at the Traun River in the center of the Salzkammergut region.
Bad Ischl was originally an important salt transit point. In the 19thcentury, the locals discovered the medicinal and healing properties of salt and built the oldest existing salt bath in Austria. From then on, Bad Ischl has become a spa resort for the upper class. It was also where emperor Franz Joseph and princess Sissi fell in love at first sight. Bad Ischl was the summer resort of Emperor Joseph, now the "Emperor's Villa" has become a history museum.
As the cultural and geographical center of Salzkammergut, Bad Ischl has a long history and is inextricably linked with the ancient city of Zhengzhou, "the Centre of Heaven and Earth, the City of Kung Fu."
On January 13~14, 2017, Hannes Heide, mayor of Bad Ischl, and his delegation, visited Zhengzhou to discuss the construction of a garden in Zhengzhou Garden Expo Park, making it one of the 18 international cities that have built gardens in Zhengzhou Garden Expo Park.
From April 18 to 21, 2018, mayor Hannes Heide and his delegation visited Zhengzhou again and held a meeting with Zhengzhou Municipal Government, exchanging views on tourism and cultural exchanges between the two cities. Bad Ischland Dengfeng signed a Friendly Exchange Agreement.
From September 4 to 5, 2018, Zhengzhou delegation went to Bad Ischl for friendly exchange, and was warmly received by Bad Ischl Municipal Government. The two sides held talks to discuss exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, cultural relics and tourism between Zhengzhou, Dengfeng and Bad Ischl. In terms of culture, Bad Ischl is a famous resort in Austria and also the city of music. Every year, it holds a "Rihanna Musical Festival", which attracts a large number of music fans from all over the world. While Zhengzhou also has musicals that won the Lotus Award such as Shaolin in the Wind and Goddess of the Luo River Dancing in the Moonlight. Through bilateral consultation, the two cities reached a consensus on the exchange of song and dance performances. In terms of tourism, Bad Ischl receives more than 2 million tourists every year, of which Chinese tourists account for about one-third. While in Bad Ischl, Shaolin Temple is very well known. Many Austrian tourists come to Zhengzhou with a keen interest in Dengfeng's historic buildings “the center of heaven and earth”, one of the world cultural heritages, and traditional Chinese culture.
On September 8, 2019, Zhengzhou delegation attended the 16th League of Historical Cities in Bursa, Turkey, and held talks with Hannes Heide, mayor of Bad Ischl, Austria, strengthening further exchanges between the two cities in culture, tourism, education and other fields.
