Austria - With Sissi In Vienna (42/151)

Austria - With Sissi In Vienna (42/151)

Between monarchy and modernity: Vienna had settled comfortably into a version of its history that was by no means a realistic portrayal of the past. Birgitta Ashoff follows a trail far off the beaten track of kitsch and cult. Hardly any other European city had come to terms so comfortably with its past as Vienna. Sentimentality and keen business sense had encouraged the Austrian capital to cling to a distorted image of the 19th century. The best example of this glorification was the cult surrounding the Empress Elisabeth, which owed much to popular romantic films and musicals that had nothing to do with the real Sissy. Millions of visitors from all over the world still come to Vienna to follow the trail of the adored Empress - and nowadays they are surprised by new images and exciting facts far removed from the realm of kitsch and cult.