Royal Figure
24 December 1837, Munich, Bavaria - 10 September 1898, Geneva, Switzerland (assassinated)
One of the most iconic figures in Austrian cultural memory. Elisabeth came to Bad Ischl in August 1853 with her mother and elder sister Helena, who was expected to marry Emperor Franz Joseph I. Instead, Franz Joseph fell in love with the younger Elisabeth on the spot and proposed to her there. They married in Vienna in 1854.
She remains a figure of fascination throughout Europe: famous for her beauty, her unconventional spirit, her passion for travel, and her tragic assassination by an Italian anarchist in Geneva in 1898. The Sisi film trilogy with Romy Schneider cemented her global legend.
For visitors to the Salzkammergut, the Kaiservilla is where the story begins. The engagement happened there. The imperial summers happened there. The connection between Sisi and the Austrian lake country is personal, not political.
Locations
The summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth Sisi. The place Franz Joseph described as "heaven on earth." He signed the declaration of war against Serbia here on 28 July 1914. The villa is partly still owned by Habsburg descendants. The park and guided tours are open to visitors.
