“Sisi,” as she was called, was quiet and striking—with hair the color of chestnuts. For Franz Joseph, it was love at first sight.
Franz Joseph greeted Helene kindly, but his eyes and heart wandered to Duchess Ludovika’s younger daughter, the 15-year-old Elisabeth. “Sisi,” as she was called, was quiet and beautiful with hair the color of chestnuts. For Franz Joseph, it was love at first sight.
A fateful moment turned an impressionable young woman from Bavaria into an Empress. Franz Joseph and Sisi were engaged to be married two days after their first meeting. They married in Vienna eight months later. The Austrian people fell in love with Sisi overnight, and thousands of onlookers lined the streets of Vienna to see the new Empress on her wedding day.
Today, nearly 125 years after her untimely death, Sisi remains a beloved icon in Austria. Here’s how she captured the spirit of the Austrian people and lived life her way—despite the shackles of the royal court.
The Fateful Moment that
Changed Her Life Forever
EDELWEISS
The Edelweiss in her hair have become her trademark and were designed by A.E. Köchert, purveyor to the court. Today, you can still purchase this Edelweiss jewelry at the original store in Vienna’s City Center.