Vienna - Castles

I love castles.  Can’t help it. So, since Vienna has two of them…of course I had to visit both.  The Hofburg  Castle is in the heart of the old city and was the regular residence of the emperor.  Schoenbrunn Castle is on the outskirts of the city and was the summer home of the empirical family.  I took a detour from the walking tour one day to spend a couple hours at the Hofburg Castle specifically to visit the Sisi Museum inside.  She was the wife of Emporer Franz Joseph (mid to late 1800s).  I watched a Netflix series about her called “The Empress”, so I knew some of the story and was fascinated by it. 

Elizabeth of Bavaria, or Sisi

The story goes that he was supposed to marry Elizabeth’s older sister and when he went to meet her in Bavaria, her saw Elizabeth and fell in love.  He insisted on marrying Elizabeth, whom everyone called Sisi.  He loved her greatly until the day she died.  Sisi was a free spirited woman who had difficulty adjusting to the restrictions of royal life.  Their oldest daughter died at the age of 2 and their only son and heir committed suicide in his early 20s.  These tragedies and the constant attention from the press and restraints on her freedom defined Sisi’s life.  She if often compared to Princess Diana.  One big difference is that while she was alive, the public was interested in Sisi, but it wasn’t until her death that her popularity exploded.  They figured out that they could make money off of souvenirs and publicity around the beautiful, tragic figure of the empress and many urban legends and myths became popular.  Sisi was a bit unusual and also was killed by an anarchist, making her death more tragic.  

Hofburg (Castle in the City)

The front of the Hofburg Castle.

I felt very Austrian eating my bread/meat/cheese stick in the sunshine in front of the castle before my tour.

Sisi Museum and Royal Apartments

I love seeing artifacts that famous people of history have actually touched - instead of reproductions.  This was Sisi’s pillowcase. (I just got back from doing laundry and using my own pillowcase as an impromptu laundry bag.  I’m sure this pillowcase was never used like that, lol.)

Sisi’s shoes - how fancy!

There were only a few dresses on display.  At least one was a reproduction because the original is too delicate and damaged to display.  I found this one breathtaking.

Side View

Another dress of Sisi’s.  This one is much different.

This was Emperor Franz Joseph’s personal study.  He had two huge portraits of Sisi with her hair down in this room along with lot of photographs of his family.

The other portrait of Sisi and more photos.

This was the emporer’s bed.  He was a very hard working man - working from before 5:00 am and until late at night every day.  He was very pious, there was a special bench for prayer in his room which was how he started every day.  He sincerely believed he was selected by God to rule the empire.  He was simple, not demanding fancy things - as evidenced by his simple bed and refusal of modern plumbing in his chambers for quite awhile.

Table set for meal. Notice all the different glasses!

This was one of Sisi’s apartments - much more glamorous.

Sisi’s bed.

Sisi knew that her beauty was part of her power.  When she was younger she kept fit by horseback riding.  Later, she was banned from doing that (I don’t remember why) so she had this gymnastic equipment set up in her rooms for her daily exercises.  This was quite scandalous for the time.

Gymnastic rings in doorway.

Sisi was also known for her ankle length hair.  She sat at this table for 2-3 hours a day having it done.

Sisi also liked family photographs.  I think this makes them feel so much more relatable.  My house is full of family photographs too.

Sisi, unlike her husband, loved modern things.  This was the first modern bathroom installed in the castle - just for her.

The end of the tour has these huge painting of Franz Joseph and Sisi.  History suggests that he was much more in love with her than she was with him. Sisi did not like to be in Austria, especially Vienna, where she felt trapped and watched.  She spent much of her time traveling around Europe.  Franz Joseph was very tolerant and understanding of this.  I didn’t see anywhere that suggested he had other mistresses.  When Franz Joseph was told of her death, he said, “no one will ever know how much I loved that woman”.  

These are replicas of the ruby Crown Jewels and stars that adorned Sisi’s hair in the portrait above.  I liked the stars so much I purchased some earrings like them at the gift shop.

Schoenbrunn Castle (Outside the City)

Schoenbrunn Castle’s was home to many generations of the Hapsburg family. The two most famous are Maria Teresa and Franz Joseph. Napoleon also lived here for a short time. If you have ever been to Versailles, this is similar.  Some people say it is not to the degree of elegance and luxury as Versailles, but it is still very, very fancy and beautiful.

Selfie in front of the castle.

This was Franz Joseph’s desk and study at this castle.

More family photos.

I loved this one of Franz and his grandchild.

Franz Joseph died in his bed here.  Notice the prayer bench on the left.  The painting is of him on his death bed.

These were Sisi’s chambers.  She weighed herself on the scale every day.  The mannequin gives an idea of how she might have looked standing in the room and reminds us of her very long hair.

I loved the decor of these rooms.

This is yet another portrait of Sisi (they are everywhere). What struck me about this one were the strong wires I noticed hanging it from the ceiling.  It was then that I stopped to think about how HUGE all these paintings and portraits were - all over the palace!  The frames alone must have weighed a tone.  Hanging these was no small task.

Every room in the palace has a different name, a different style.  Each generation seemed to put their stamp on a room by creating their own style.

This was a room full of portraits of Maria Teresa’s children (remember she had 16 of them).

The center piece of the palace is this hall.  It is very similar to the “Hall of Mirrors” at Versailles.

Porcelain Room.  Each square is a different, delicate porcelain painting.

This is the most valuable room in the palace.  The gold alone is very expensive, of course.  But inside each  “frame” is an exquisite piece of Asian art - each very valuable.

Close up of Asian art

Schoenbrunn Gardens

The gardens at Schoenbrunn are extensive and amazing.  There is even a zoo!  By this time of our day, I was wiped out and did not get many photos, but here are some.

David and these guys climbed the hill at the back of the garden to see the view of the palace and city in the distance.

This is the structure that is at the top of the hill.

While they climbed the hill, I rested by this fountain - remember I am not fond of climbing hills or towers for the view.  Staying here was just fine for people watching and resting up for the long walk back to the trains and through the city back to our hotel. But it was an amazing day and I’m so happy we got to see all that we did!