Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Franz Josef's apartments
illustrate the lifestyle of the last great Habsburg ruler. In
these rooms, he presided over defeats and liberal inroads as the world was changing and the
monarchy becoming obsolete. Here he met with advisors and welcomed foreign dignitaries,
hosted lavish, white-gloved balls and stuffy formal dinners, and raised three children. He
slept (alone) on his austere bed while his beloved wife Sisi retreated to her own rooms. He
suffered through the assassination of his brother, the suicide of his son and heir, the murder
of his wife, and the assassination of his nephew, Archduke Ferdinand, which sparked World
War I and spelled the end of the Habsburg monarchy.
Amongtheroomsyou'llseeisthe
audienceroom
whereFranzJosefreceivedcommon-
ers from around the empire. They came from far and wide to show gratitude or to make a
request.Imagineyou'vetraveledfordaystohaveyoursaybeforetheemperor.You'rewear-
ing your new fancy suit—Franz Josef required that men coming before him wear a tailcoat,
women a black gown with a train. You've rehearsed what you want to say. You hope your
hair looks good. Suddenly, you're face-to-face with the emp himself. (The
portrait
on the
easel showsFranzJosefin1915,whenhewasmorethan80yearsold.)Despite yourefforts,
you probably weren't in this room long. He'd stand at the
high table
(far left) as the visiting
commoners had their say. (Standing kept things moving.) You'd hear a brief response from
him (quite likely the same he'd given all day), and then you'd back out of the room while
bowing (also required). On the table is a partial
list
of 56 appointments he had on January 3,
1910 (three columns: family name, meeting topic, and
Anmerkung
—the emperor's “action
log”).
Franz Josef's
bedroom
shows off his spartan lifestyle. Notice his no-frills
iron bed
. He
typically rose at 3:30 and started his day in prayer, kneeling at the
prayer stool
against the
far wall. While he had a typical emperor's share of mistresses, his dresser was always well-
stocked with
photos
of Sisi.
Sisi's Rooms
include her exercise/dressing room, where servants worked three hours a
day on the empress' famous hair. She'd exercise on the
wooden structure
and on the
rings
suspended from the doorway to the left. Afterward, she'd get a massage on the red-covered
bed.
In Sisi's main bathroom, you'll see her huge copper tub (with the original wall cover-
ingsbehindit),whereservantswashedherhair—anall-dayaffair.SisiwasthefirstHabsburg
to have running water in her bathroom (notice the hot and cold faucets). In the
small salon,
the portrait is of Crown Prince Rudolf, Franz Josef's and Sisi's only son. On the morning of
January 30, 1889, the 30-year-old Rudolf and a beautiful baroness were found shot dead in
an apparent murder-suicide in his hunting lodge in Mayerling. The scandal shocked the em-
pire and tainted the Habsburgs; Sisi retreated further into her fantasy world, and Franz Josef
carried on stoically with a broken heart.
The tour ends in the
dining room.
It's dinnertime, and Franz Josef has called his exten-
ded family together. The settings are modest...just silver. Gold was saved for formal state
