The Sisi Cult

Sisi, Sissi or, officially, Elisabeth of Austria has been fascinating vast amounts of people ever since she lived. Her famous beauty, free spirit and turbulent marriage to Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria, have founded many plays, books, movies and urban legends. 

In Vienna, there is no way to not stumble upon some or other indicator of that Sissi obsession. The Sissi cult is everywhere, from the actual historical Sisi museum to the souvenirs in the tourist shops. 

When marrying Franz Josef, the young Elisabeth was seen as a free spirit, with an upbringing unusually unconstrained and informal for her status and time. She came from bavarian royalty, not too high in rank but her mother a sister of the emperor’s mother, the very influencial princess Sophie of Austria. 

Franz Josefs marriage to the fifteen year old Sissi, instead of her older sister Helene as the mothers had planned, was an unexpected act of defiance against his mother. Sissi arguably didn’t get off to a good start with Sophie, who disliked her attitude and feared that her influence over the emperor might grow too large. She also seized control over the couple’s children, something that  the women would be fighting over for years to come. Elisabeth seized the chances she could get to take her children with her when she travelled, and so she also took the two year old Sophie (named after her grandmother) and her younger sister Gisela along on a visit to Hungary. The children fell ill with high fever and while Gisela recovered quickly, Sophie did not make it. It is thought that she died from typhus. Her death affected Elisabeth very much and resulted in her mother-in-law taking back full control over the child-rearing. Sissi remained distant with her children, except for the youngest daughter, born ten years after her siblings,  whom she poured all her repressed motherly feelings into. 

She was too free spirited for the strict protocol at the royal court and indulged in habits unsuited to her role such as smoking. She was also interested in politics, history and the arts, and had a special fondness for Heinrich Heine.

Her marriage was not always a happy one and Sissi spent increasing amounts of time abroad, especially in Hungary, a country which she loved and to whose people she felt deeply conncected. It is rumored that she, like Franz Josef, had lovers. Sissi, who already as a girl was greatly admired for her looks, quickly realized their political potential and started cultivating her image with great fervor. She kept a rigorous exercise regimen and regularly fasted. She avoided becoming pregnant for years after the birth of her son because she was afraid of the damage it might do to her body. Her health was not the best at times either and she was sent to Bad Ischl several times to regenerate.

After the age of 35, she did not allow any pictures to be taken of her as not to destroy the image of her etheral beauty. After the murder-suicide of her only son, she barely spent any time at court anymore, travelling restlessly instead. 

She was assassinated at age 60 by the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni who had initially planned to kill the Duke of Orléans but had missed him and thus decided to kill any other sovereign. 

Vienna is the perfect place to walk in the famous Sisi’s footsteps. You can visit the Hofburg, the emperor’s gardens and Schloss Schönbrunn of course. Both buildings have special Sissi-themed exibithions which showcase the empresses’ clothing, personal items as well as her correspondence and the furnishings of the royal apartments. After seeing her most famous portrait live at the Hofburg museum, you can visit any of the tourist shops to find some typical kitsch and maybe take home a plate, broche or tote bag that is adorned by her face.