Whilst the Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria visited the Czech capital at least twelve times, only once was he accompanied by his spouse, the legendary Empress Elisabeth. As well as being Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary (since 1867) Franz Josef was also titular King of Bohemia, although his uncle Ferdinand I was the last Habsburg Emperor to be actually crowned as such, in 1836. This of course meant that by marriage, Elisabeth was Queen of Bohemia, something which was commented on after her assassination in Geneva in 1898, when Bohemians protested that the coat of arms which contained the inscription “Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary” did not also contain the words “Queen of Bohemia” as Elisabeth’s body lay in state. (Elisabeth was by grace of her position, also Margravine of Moravia).
The Emperor and Empress travelled on the Northern Railway in the locomotive Proserpina, whose line connected Vienna with Prague via Brno. (Interestingly, Elisabeth’s railway car [Hofsalonwagen] – now preserved in Vienna’s Technisches Museum – was actually manufactured in Prague-Smichov by Ringhoffer). In Brno, they were welcomed with triumphal arches and illuminations to mark the imperial visit. As part of this tour, Elisabeth admired the wedding float procession from the Hanna in its regional costume and occupied her time visiting convents, churches, hospitals, almshouses and orphanages. (Corti, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, 1936). A festival was held in the Lužánky Park in Brno, and a vintage bottle of Moravian wine from 1746 was given to the Emperor and Empress before they left.
On 10 June, Elisabeth accompanied Franz Josef for the blessing of the foundation stone for the new Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague-Karlin designed by Revivalist architect Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann and Austrian architect Carl Roesner. The Emperor and Empress visited a home for the deaf and dumb, an asylum and opened a target shoot, as well as went to an agricultural fair, where a baker presented them with a pastry in the shape of the Austrian imperial eagle. (Hamann, The Reluctant Empress, 1986) The Emperor and Empress also attended a tournament in the riding academy of Valdštejnský palác in the Lesser Town, where the formal entry of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III into Prague, was re-enacted.
It appears to have been the last time that the Bohemian Queen was in Bohemia.
Elizabeth Jane Timms is a freelance writer, royal historian, and journalist. She contributes to an international academic journal about royalty and also writes for magazines and the web.
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