Sissi in Heidelberg. Empress Elisabeth of Austria and the castle

Heidelberg Castle was a place of refuge for Empress Elisabeth. From 1883 to 1890, the legendary Sissi stayed in Heidelberg four times, always in April. In the romantic castle ruins and the natural surroundings of the Neckar Valley, she found respite from the strict etiquette of the court. Always with her: her youngest daughter Marie Valerie who recorded her experiences in Heidelberg in her diary. The book with the princess’s handwritten entries is full of impressive descriptions of the atmosphere at this magical place for the empress – happy times in a tragic life.

Kaiserin Elisabeth und Bergbahningenieur Philipp Leferenz. Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg, Service Center Heidelberg

AN EMPRESS DISCOVERS THE CASTLE
A spa stay with her daughter in Baden-Baden brought Empress Elisabeth to Heidelberg for the first time in the spring of 1883. On April 2, “Sissi” and her traveling party visited the city and the castle. Much of these travels her youngest daughter, Marie Valerie recorded in the diaries. The young girl enthusiastically described her first encounter with the castle, which at that time was still half-hidden by trees and climbing plants, rising romantically from the greenery of the steep Neckar Valley. While the other members of the traveling party lamented that the castle was now only a ruin, Valerie wrote in her diary: “I am very happy about this, because these well-preserved ruins are a thousand times more interesting than a castle that although still standing, cannot evoke any memories.” The empress was also delighted after her tour of the castle and, after the day trip, wished to return to the city on the Neckar soon.

EXPLORATION TOURS IN THE RUINS
The atmosphere with the wildly overgrown nature in the ruins fascinated Empress Elisabeth and her daughter so much that they returned just one year later: And there, the noble ladies rented almost the entire castle hotel for the month of April. The two explored “the old, ephemeral castle” and the Odenwald forest extensively. Mother and daughter enjoyed their freedom from court protocol and their undisturbed life to the fullest. Marie Valerie raved in her diary: “It is so beautiful here, so heavenly beautiful…” The empress and her daughter only left when Elisabeth’s sciatica became so unbearable that she had to seek treatment in Amsterdam. She visited Heidelberg for the last time in 1890. The empress stayed at the Hotel am Schloss for five days with her daughter and her fiancé, Archduke Franz Salvator. They visit their favorite places and look down on the Neckar River. The sadness of the occasion is particularly evident in Valerie’s words: “We said to each other with melancholy that we might never see this incomparable and beloved sight together again.”

THE MAGIC OF THE CASTLE
The emperor’s daughter Marie Valerie describes many of her experiences at the castle in Heidelberg in her diary: “We crawled into every nook and cranny and climbed every tower, every bay window, even the dizzying heights, because when Franz holds me, there is nothing to fear, and we admired anew the beauty of this unique building, which has no equal in the world, especially when spring has woven its shimmering bridal gown around the hills and the old town, and fragrant lilacs and wallflowers bloom from every crack and crevice of the red sandstone building. After we had examined every stone, admired every view, and refreshed every memory, we returned to the hotel tired and dusty and waited to see if the moon would decide to break through the clouds that had covered the sky all day. Finally, a bright silver glow shone over the Gaisberg, and so the three of us went down again and waited on a bench in the castle garden until the full moon stood brightly in the sky and its mild light poured over the mighty, ivy-covered walls. Then we went into the castle courtyard and onto the terrace and let the silver glow shine brightly on us through the burnt-out windows of the Otto-Heinrichsbau. It shimmered on the bull’s-eye windows of the central wing, and the deep shadows and slender figures of the statues rising from the roofless walls looked ghostly. We didn’t go home until 10 o’clock.”

THEMATIC TOUR: EMPRESS SISSI GOES FOR A WALK
Even at the end of the 19th century, when tourism was still in its infancy, Heidelberg with its picturesque castle ruins was a popular destination, but the way up to the castle was arduous: Now, using the latest engineering techniques, a mountain railway was built and summer visitors could reach their destination with ease. Empress Sissi also spent a few days in Heidelberg – and it is rumored that she herself was spotted on the mountain railway.

EMPRESS ELISABETH OF AUSTRIA
Elisabeth Amalia Eugenie was born on December 24, 1837, as the second daughter of Duke Max Joseph in Bavaria (1808–1888) and Princess Ludovika Wilhelmine (1808–1892). She grew up in the Herzog-Max-Palais in Munich and, during the summer months, in Possenhofen Palace on Lake Starnberg. In 1853, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria (1830–1916) became engaged to her, preferring the 16-year-old Elisabeth to her older sister Helene. Less than a year after her wedding, the young empress gave birth to her first daughter, who died at the age of two during a trip through Hungary. This stroke of fate was the first in a series of many. Life at court, with all its etiquette, was always unpleasant for “Sissi.” She used her many trips, which often followed a recommendation for a cure, to escape from court life. Several times, these took her to Heidelberg, where she always stayed at the Schlosshotel with her youngest daughter Valerie and explored the area from there. Her carefree travels ended after the suicide of her son Rudolf in 1889, and she returned to Heidelberg only once more, in 1890. A tragic event ended her life: on September 10, 1898, she was murdered in Geneva by an Italian anarchist.