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    1. Magical Places
    2. Vienna. Life Blood of the Danube Monarchy

    Vienna. Life Blood of the Danube Monarchy

    For the Habsburgs, the river as always had enormous significance. It was a transportation and travel route that connected peoples and cultures from Bavaria to the Iron Gates. The empire was governed from the Imperial Palace in Vienna, but it was the Danube that held it together.

    Albrecht Fountain in Vienna
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    The tall one, with the long beard, says Dr. Martin Mutschlechner, and points to the most imposing of the numerous marble figures gracing the fountain behind the Imperial Palace: “This is the Danube. The Latin name for Danube, Danubius, is masculine. The lady next to him represents Vindobona, the city of Vienna. Can you see his hand on her shoulder? The gesture shows the connection between the city and the river.” What about Danubius’s grim expression? 

    Well, shrugs the historian: The river was not always peaceful. “It flooded on a regular basis, in winter there was ice. And always, there were the whirlpools. For quite some time, the most important traffic route of the Empire was a dangerous one. The smaller figures, by the way, symbolise the Salzach, Traun and other rivers. The Inn is missing, as is the Drau. They are standing over there, around the corner.”

    • Michaelerplatz, Hofburg
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    • On the premises of Vienna’s Imperial Palace, there is not much that still points to the immense significance the Danube has had for the Habsburg Empire. Even the Danubius Fountain is officially called the Albrechtsbrunnen (in memory of Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen). Only the term Donaumonarchie (Danube Empire) is a nod to the fact that the river used to be the life-blood of Austria-Hungary. From Bavaria all the way down to the Iron Gates, the Danube connected peoples and cultures. And until the invention of the steam engine, it was the best transportation route for large and heavy goods that had to be shipped from one end of the large empire to the other. Unfortunately, the Danube flows in the wrong direction, so Martin Mutschlechner.

       

    • „The cornfields of the empire were in the East, so entire boat trains had to be pulled upriver. That was still better than having to transport everything by land.“ The Danube also connected (and still connects) Vienna and Budapest, the two capitals of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. After 1867, the court spent part of every year in Hungary, and even though the administration remained in Vienna, every time several hundred individuals moved from Vienna to Budapest and back. „That was a huge logistical feat every single time,” says Mutschlechner. „Of course, the river also played a role in the fate of Empress Elisabeth: As a bride, she travelled on the Danube from Bavaria to the Imperial Palace.”

    A Tour of the Sisi Museum

    The most important property of the Habsburgs is called “castle” (Hofburg) in German because centuries ago, it actually was one and only after the 17th century, the former fortification was transformed into a palace-like residence. Because every subsequent Habsburg ruler added to it or modified it, today there are more than 18 sections, 54 staircases and 19 courtyards: the Hofburg is an Imperial Palace indeed. To keep visitors from losing their way, only parts of the gigantic premises are open to the public. Most are only interested in the Sisi-Museum and the Imperial Chambers. The representative chambers of the Imperial couple are all gold and glitter, with crystals on the chandeliers, gilded ceilings, and every window frame, every mirror sparkles and glitters. The floors are so polished, you have to squint so as not to be blinded by the light reflected on the light wood. How much more modest the private chambers look by comparison! The bearded emperor slept in a simple metal bed; Franz Joseph directed the fate of his empire comprising 13 states and 50 million subjects from a simple desk. A fitness fanatic, Elisabeth had gymnastic rings installed in her door frame so she could do her daily exercise routine, and her mirror seems to have been her most important item of furniture. Everything still looks as if the two had just left a few minutes ago. As if they’d return once the last visitor left the Imperial Palace.

    • Sisi Museum, Vienna Dining Room - Hofburg Vienna
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    • Sisi Museum Vienna, Gym and Toilet Room
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    • Sisi Museum - Vienna Hofburg
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    • Sisi Museum - Vienna Hofburg
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    • Sisi Museum - Vienna Hofburg
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