»My Heart is made of Stone«
The dark side of Empress Elisabeth of Austria
Empress Elisabeth's unknown sides
This Book starts where most stories about the empress end: from the age of 40, the empress known as Sisi completely withdrew from public life. Her predilection for the morbidity of the Fin de Siècle and her passion for mythology and Nietzsche – all contributed to the formation of the myth surrounding her person. Contemporary documents establish a melancholic picture of the »eternally young« shadow empress who was extremely fascinated by mental illness, mysticism, and decay. A photo story about Elisabeth’s death and her transfer to Vienna is published here in its entirety for the fi rst time. New questions concerning biographical aspects are raised. And who was the anarchist and »saviour« Luigi Lucheni, who unknowingly made Sisi’s most fervent wish come true: »I wish my soul would fl y into the sky through a small opening in my heart…«? Michaela Lindinger M.A., studied journalism and communication sciences, political sciences and pre- and early history and Egyptology at Vienna University. She has worked in museums and exhibitions since 1986, e.g. at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts), the Belvedere, and the Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum (Upper Austrian State Museum). She has been an assistant curator since 1995, and has worked as the curator of the Wien Museum (Vienna Museum) since 2003.
Empress Elisabeth's unknown sides
This Book starts where most stories about the empress end: from the age of 40, the empress known as Sisi completely withdrew from public life. Her predilection for the morbidity of the Fin de Siècle and her passion for mythology and Nietzsche – all contributed to the formation of the myth surrounding her person. Contemporary documents establish a melancholic picture of the »eternally young« shadow empress who was extremely fascinated by mental illness, mysticism, and decay. A photo story about Elisabeth’s death and her transfer to Vienna is published here in its entirety for the fi rst time. New questions concerning biographical aspects are raised. And who was the anarchist and »saviour« Luigi Lucheni, who unknowingly made Sisi’s most fervent wish come true: »I wish my soul would fl y into the sky through a small opening in my heart…«? Michaela Lindinger M.A., studied journalism and communication sciences, political sciences and pre- and early history and Egyptology at Vienna University. She has worked in museums and exhibitions since 1986, e.g. at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts), the Belvedere, and the Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum (Upper Austrian State Museum). She has been an assistant curator since 1995, and has worked as the curator of the Wien Museum (Vienna Museum) since 2003.
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