The monument to Empress Elisabeth

A monument to Sisi

If you are looking into the Volksgarten from Ringstraße, there lies a monument tucked away in the rear left corner. A monument to probably the most famous personality of the Imperial Family, who has found her way into cultural memory not least because of the “Sissi” films, in which Romy Schneider portrayed the young Empress.

The monument to Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, wife to Emperor Franz Joseph I, is unveiled on June 4th, 1907 - it is the final monument to a member of the Imperial Household to be erected in Vienna. The architecture of the monument goes back to designs by Friedrich Ohmann; Hans Bitterlich creates the fountain figures on the sides and the model for the seated Empress, which is then rendered in Laas marble by Franz Grill. Sisi, as Elisabeth is known by the populace, has been dead for nine years by the time the monument is unveiled. On September 10th, 1898 in Genf, she is murdered at the hands of Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni. The setting for the monument is thought to have been chosen personally by her husband, as is the portrait which served as a template for the seated figure of the Empress. The marriage between Elisabeth and Franz Joseph is by no means free from strain at the time of Elisabeth’s death. In 1858, after the birth of her third child - the long-awaited Crown Prince Rudolf (1858-1889) who later, tragically, takes his own life at Mayerling –Elisabeth withdraws from ceremonial court life by taking extended trips.

She travels around Europe, to Asia Minor and to North Africa. Always at her side are her ladies-in-waiting and her Greek reader Constantin Christomanos, who knows how to entertain her with works by ancient writers as well as by French and English authors. She often uses her yacht, the Miramar on her travels, undertaking extended trips on the Mediterranean. Furthermore she watches what she eats and keeps fit – she is a particular fan of riding.

Elisabeth, crowned Queen of Hungary in 1867, is particularly fascinated by Greece. On Corfu between 1889 and 1891, she has a Greek palace in the Pompeii style built – the Achilleion. She also studies classical and modern Greek, translating Shakespeare plays into modern Greek too.

The monument depicts Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary without ruler attributes. A book, roses and two dogs left and right of her feet are symbols of the private Elisabeth. On the rear wall of the marble base is written: “The peoples of Austria erected this monument to their unforgettable Empress Elisabeth in unwavering love and loyalty in 1907”.