AMADEUS Story
Sisi - between palace and freedom
You probably feel the same way: when you hear “Sisi,” you think of the classic film starring Romy Schneider and find yourself immersed in the love story of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth.
But the silver screen and real life are two different worlds. In reality, Sisi loves her freedom much more than her husband. She loves traveling and horseback riding, the tranquility of Gödöllő Palace, the impetuous power of wind and waves. She even has an anchor tattooed on her shoulder for this reason.
At the age of 16, the not-so-monarchical Sisi travels with her mother from Linz down the Danube to marry Emperor Franz Joseph in Vienna's Augustinian Church. He feels in love, she feels sold. Outwardly, the two appear to be a dream couple. But Sisi suffers under the weight of the crown. She feels trapped by the strict etiquette at Schönbrunn Palace and the Vienna Hofburg. Until life opens doors for her.
Ironically, it is a lung disease that gives Sisi her freedom. The doctor recommends the sea air of the Mediterranean. When she returns to Vienna years later, the shy girl has become a self-confident woman who climbs mountains and becomes one of the best horsewomen in the world. Sisi also makes a name for herself as empress. When she reaches a settlement with Hungary, she is crowned queen in Budapest and given Gödöllő Palace. She quickly grows fond of this little paradise outside Budapest, which becomes her refuge from aristocratic ceremonies. Sisi spends over 2,000 days here. She preferred spring and autumn, when life blossoms – and then fades again. Her own life ended on a beach promenade in Geneva, where an anarchist stabbed her in the heart with a file.
Her memory lives on. Anyone wishing to follow in Empress Elisabeth's footsteps will find plenty of opportunities to do so on a trip along the Danube. At Gödöllő Palace or Schönbrunn Palace, in Matthias Church, on Elisabeth Bridge – or in the film starring Romy Schneider.
Be enchanted by the beauty of the Danube on an AMADEUS cruise – following in the footsteps of Sisi:
