Empress Sisi: solve the myths of a legend
Numerous legends are entwined around the empress, there are many secrets and myths about sisi. Everyone knows the young, beautiful empress and knows about her influence in the Imperial and Royal monarchy. But who really knows her? Who knows which woman Sisi was behind the public figure? We clarify and show you the sides of Empress Elisabeth of Austria that only a few know. Discover the secrets of Empress Sisi and let her woman power surprise you!
Empress Sisi - a name that you will not forget
The full name of the beautiful empress is Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie von Wittelsbach, but she is commonly known as Sisi of Austria. However, this was not always the case!
When she was a child, the stormy girl, who loved to be outdoors in nature, was called Lissi. Lissi was a real whirlwind and kept her parents busy. When the young beauty came to Vienna, the name Lissi was too cumbersome. The people longed for an empress to adore, and her name should be easy to pronounce. Lissi soon became the nickname Sisi, which the Empress bore until after her death.
Sisi in private – the preferences of the Empress
We ask ourselves what is behind the public figure and what moved Sisi privately. We can reveal a secret: Sisi from Austria had an extremely elegant and lovely taste. This is not only reflected in the choice of her clothes, but also in her perfume.
The Empress's favorite scent was that of purple violets - perhaps the delicate flowers reminded her of her childhood in Bavaria.
Our insider tip: The perfume was created in 1850 and is still made today by the traditional perfumery “Filz”. If you would like to experience the scent of the Empress for yourself, we recommend that you visit our online shop - Sisi's violet perfume is available here.
Empress Sisi of Austria, namesake for a famous dish
Everyone knows it, everyone loves it - but very few people know that this famous Austrian dish was originally named after Sisi of Austria.
The personal chef of the emperor Franz Josef wanted to serve the empress a very special dish: It should be fluffy and light like a cloud and taste so delicious that you couldn't get enough of it. It was well known that Sisi loved sweets privately, which is why the chef created the Kaiserinnenschmarrn (the female version of “Kaiserschmarrn”) - especially for Empress Sisi. However, the emperor should have misheard the taste of the dish and so the creation for Sisi became the famous Kaiserschmarrn (the male version of “Kaiserschmarrn”).
Fit like Empress Sisi of Austria
However, the empress could not eat large quantities of the famous dish “Kaiserschmarrn”, she was very careful about her weight. The everyday life of the Empress was determined by a strict sports program, she had her own sports room set up in the Imperial Palace for this purpose.
The program included a cold bath every morning at 5 a.m., after which she did gymnastics on horizontal bar, parallel bars, wall bars and with rings. A scandal at the imperial court! But Sisi is undeterred and sticks to her program - she wants to stay young and fit at all costs and is decades ahead of her time. One could almost say that Empress Elisabeth of Austria is an influencer from the 21st century.
Empress Elisabeth – a tattoo adorned her skin
This is not a Sisi myth, but a well-kept secret about the empress. However, she did not have the body jewelry done as a teenager, but only in 1888 at the age of 51 years.
A myth is that Sisi visited a harbor bar and had an anchor pierced on her shoulder. The Emperor was anything but happy about it - but Sisi didn't care. The Empress went her own way, no matter what others thought of her.
We are just as fascinated as you are by the eventful history of Empress Sisi of Austria. Unveiling the mysteries of the Empress makes us feel like we better understand and know the woman behind the Empress. The Sisi myth lives on - because only few women in history make such a lasting impression as Empress Sisi of Austria does.
If you want to learn more about the empress, we recommend visiting the Sisi Museum on Michaelerplatz - here you can get even deeper insights into her life.
To the Sisi Museum.