Vienna is a typical European city, where you trip over History at every corner. In the middle of it all, we find Hofburg Imperial Palace, the official residence of the Austrian Imperial Family, the House of Habsburg (and later, Habsburg-Lorraine). We visited Hofburg on Monday, 3.
In this Palace lived the de facto last emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph I (1830-1916). He reigned in a time when the monarchic rule was under pressure by the republican ideals everywhere in Europe and in the Americas.
His reign was marked by a failures in foreign policy and by personal tragedies. In his personal life, he had an unhappy marriage with the egocentric and anorexic Empress Elizabeth, more commonly known as Sisi, who was more interested in riding horses, traveling and enjoying her lovers. During his lifetime, Emperor Franz Joseph witnessed the death of his young daughter and the suicide of his son and heir to the throne. He also saw the murder of his wife by an Italian anarchist. As far as external policy goes it includes the defeat in the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859, the defeat in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, and finally, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. Maybe he faced his biggest challenge at the end of his life, when his nephew and heir to the throne, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in Sarajevo. His reaction led to the beginning of World War I, that engulfed the European countries like a collapsing castle of playing cards. Franz Josef died during the war, and with him the Empire. Even though he was succeeded by grand-nephew Karl, the Empire ended with the war, and the Republic of German Austria was proclaimed.
The picture shows the current coat-of-arms of Austria, Österreich, the "Eastern Realm", with an eagle holding a scythe (representing agriculture) and a hammer (representing industry). The chains represent freedom from National Socialism.
What is the legacy of the Empire? Music, arts and culture.
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