Next to the bridge named in her honor stands a statue of Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, best known as Sisi.
Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie (1837-1889) was born in Munich, Bavaria, into the royal family of Wittelsbach. At 15, she married her first cousin, 23 years old Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, and became the empress of Austria. Growing up in an unrestricted environment, Sisi had difficulty adjusting to the formality of life in court. In addition to communication problems with her husband and over-controlling mother-in-law, who prevented her from raising her children, Sisi started suffering from depression and eating disorders. These have worsened following the death of her daughter in 1857 and the suicide of her son in 1889.
Sisi found peace and independence when away from Vienna’s imperial court and became an extensive traveler. One of her favorite places to visit was Hungary, where she was adored by the people, especially for her role in the negotiation that formed the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867. Her preferred residence was the Royal Palace of Godollo; she learned Hungarian and had a close relationship with several political figures.
On September 10th, 1898, while walking by Lake Geneva, the 61-year-old-queen was assassinated by an Italian anarchist.
Following her death, the Hungarian people wanted to commemorate their beloved Queen with a statue. It took almost two decades, and in 1919 Sculptor György Zala and architect Rezső Hikisch were chosen to create the memorial. It took 13 more years to find the statue’s location, and on September 25th, 1932, the unveiling occurred at Eskü tér (today’s Március 15. tér).
In 1953, during the communist and anti-royalist regime, the statue was replaced by the Fisher girl fountain and moved into storage. In 1996, it was re-inaugurated in its current location at Döbrente Square.
The bronze statue, Erzsébet királyné szobra, depicts Sisi sitting on a settee in her royal attire, humbly looking down. The inscription on the plinth below reads: “Erzsebet Kiralyne (Elisabeth queen consort in Hungarian) | 1887-1898.”
There are three more statues of Sisi in Budapest – inside St Matthias Church, at Madách Imre tér, and at Elizabeth Park, which was named in her honor. Other sites in the city that commemorate the Queen are the Elisabeth Bridge, the Elizabeth Lookout Tower, and Erzsébet tér. More statues of her stand in Vienna, Austria.
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