Empress Sisi
In the footsteps of Austria’s free-spirited empress
In the footsteps of the empress: Sisi's favorite places
Sisi's presence can still be felt in many places throughout Austria, especially in the original living rooms of numerous palaces and villas. As Empress, Sisi avoided public life, preferring to travel rather than participate in public ceremonies.
It's no surprise that Sisi often commuted between the Hofburg and Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Innsbruck’s Hofburg, Leopoldskron Palace in Salzburg, Laxenburg Palace, and the imperial villa in Ischl—or made stops on her way to far-off destinations.
In these places, Sisi not only found a sense of the freedom she longed for, but they also reminded her of times past: meeting her future husband, Franz Joseph I, in Bad Ischl; the lavish engagement party at Schloss Leopoldskron, hosted by King Ludwig II for Sisi and Franz Joseph; her honeymoon and the birth of two of her daughters in Laxenburg; or her refuge, the Hermes Villa, built by her husband Emperor Franz Joseph to encourage her to stay longer in Vienna.
Anyone looking to follow in Sisi's footsteps can do so at Schloss Fuschl in SalzburgerLand, which served as the perfect filming location for the romantic love story of the imperial couple that made Romy Schneider and Karl Heinz Böhm superstars.
A journey through Sisi's Austria
A fateful moment in history
Regardless, the suitcases containing their colorful summer wardrobe were nowhere to be found. Duchess Ludovika of Bavaria and her daughters, Helene and Elisabeth, were mourning a recently deceased aunt. As a result, they had to appear before the emperor dressed in black for their meeting on that fateful August 16, 1853. In Bad Ischl, a charming town in Austria's Salzburg Lake District, Helene was set to be introduced to His Majesty Franz Joseph I, ruler of the Habsburg Empire. Helene, a serious 17-year-old, appeared austere and ascetic in her dark attire. Franz Joseph greeted her, but his gaze quickly wandered to the lively young girl beside her. 15-year-old Sisi, who had merely accompanied her mother and sister on the journey, captured the emperor's heart at first sight.
Throughout history, fateful moments have turned beggars into kings, outlaws into heroes, and, in this case, a girl from a small Bavarian town into a legendary empress. The encounter in Bad Ischl was one such moment. Two days after their first meeting, Franz Joseph asked Elisabeth to marry him. Eight months later, their wedding took place in Vienna. Of all the Habsburgs, Austria’s longest-reigning dynasty, no figure remains as iconic as Sisi. Even 125 years after her death, she continues to outshine them all. Yet, despite her fame, historians still struggle to uncover the true personality behind the myth of Empress Sisi.
Her years at the Viennese court
From the very first day, the young and spirited empress felt caged by the rigid rituals of the Viennese court. The honeymoon at Laxenburg Palace turned into a disaster; the young emperor spent his days at his desk while his wife cried her heart out in the park.
A life of strict duties and ceremonies lay ahead. Over the following years, the couple moved between various courts and homes: from the Imperial Palace to Schönbrunn in Vienna, the Innsbruck Hofburg, Leopoldskron Castle in Salzburg, and Schloss Hof to the Imperial Villa in Bad Ischl. For Sisi, weeks of monotonous protocol turned into months, then years. The joy of a gilded life never materialized; she saw only restrictions and suffered under the control of the imperial court. Even the birth of their first daughter, Sophie Friederike, didn't change that. Tragically, Sophie died at the age of two. Later, Gisela was born, and soon after, people cheered the birth of Rudolf, the heir to the throne. By the age of 21, Sisi was a mother of three, but her children grew up lonely and largely without her presence.
Guided by her independent spirit, she rebelled against the court's expectations and yearned for emancipation. Sisi neither aspired to be a devoted wife, a doting mother, nor a representative figure of the vast empire. Franz Joseph accommodated her unorthodox desires as far as his position and sense of tradition allowed, but it wasn’t enough. Sisi fell ill, feeling trapped in a golden cage, and eventually, she broke free.
Restless Travels
Her hasty departure from Vienna to Corfu marked the beginning of a lifelong odyssey. Elisabeth would remain on the move for the rest of her life. She wandered restlessly from spa town to spa town, never staying more than a few weeks. Sisi had a deep love for the sea, sailed through the worst storms, and even had an anchor tattooed on her shoulder.
During the day, she followed a strict fitness routine (her maids often had to be picked up by carriage because they could no longer keep pace with the empress) — she was regarded as the finest horsewoman in the world.
She eventually stopped allowing portraits of herself: the last photograph shows her at 30, and the last painting at 40. Later in life, no one but her chambermaids saw her face, which she always kept hidden behind a veil, fan, or umbrella.
Elisabeth's tragic death
The empress's death in 1898 was as unusual as her life. Sisi did not notice her injury at first. On the banks of Lake Geneva, an assassin thrust a sharpened file into her heart. Elisabeth thought the man had merely knocked her over, and she straightened up, apologised to passers-by for her mishap, and hurried with her chambermaid to the ship in which she was about to sail across the lake. It was only on board that the empress collapsed.
"What actually happened?" were her last words. Minutes later, the woman who was to become the most famous of all Habsburgs died at the age of 60. Only a single drop of blood stained her dress. It was black, just like the one she had worn on that fateful day in Bad Ischl.
5 secrets of Empress Sisi
Smoking empress
Not deterred by the strict ban on smoking for ladies, Sisi is reported to have frequently been seen smoking.
Romy Schneider as "Sisi"
The romance, in the beginning, her desire for self-determination and independence, the eccentricities of her later life, as well as her tragic love for Franz Joseph made Elisabeth of Austria a Habsburg celebrity.
In the 1950s, the trilogy with Romy Schneider made Sisi world famous. Television films and a musical followed.
In 2022, Netflix launched a new series about Austria's most famous empress: 'The Empress,' taking us to the early years of Sisi's and Emperor Franz Joseph's marriage.
In May of 2022, the movie drama 'Corsage' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has since then collected international awards in several categories, foremost for the performance of Vicky Krieps as the ageing empress.
K&K court purveyors and Sisi's favorite dishes
Sisi had 27 hair stars made from diamonds and pearls by jeweller A.E. Köchert. She gifted some to her ladies-in-waiting, while others were passed down within the family.
The hair ornaments are immortalized in Franz Xaver Winterhalter's famous portrait of the empress. Her granddaughter, Archduchess Elisabeth, wore the stars at her wedding in 1902.
