Exhibition traces Empress Elisabeth’s rise as a media star

An exhibition at Innsbruck’s Hofburg palace explores how Empress Elisabeth was portrayed on screen and stage over the past 100 years, ORF reported. Titled “Sisi as a Media Star: Empress Elisabeth in Film and on Stage”, it focuses not only on the historical figure but also on the image created by film and theatre productions.

The exhibition traces that changing portrayal from early films of the 1920s. It includes excerpts from the silent film biography “Empress Elisabeth of Austria”, made in 1920 and 1921 with Carla Nelsen in the lead role, and from the first sound film, “Elisabeth of Austria”, released in 1931 with Lil Dagover.

Both productions focus mainly on Elisabeth’s private life, including her life at court, her marriage and the consequences of the death of her son, Crown Prince Rudolf. In 1889, Rudolf took his own life at Mayerling Castle together with his lover, Mary Vetsera.

A central part of the exhibition is Ernst Marischka’s “Sissi” trilogy from the 1950s. Romy Schneider played Elisabeth in the films and helped shape the enduring image of the empress as young, beautiful and romantic.

Films, costumes and furniture from that period are on display, alongside the trilogy’s strongly romanticised portrayal of Elisabeth and the monarchy. Selected cinema and film posters also show that Elisabeth was played by international actors over several decades and marketed internationally from an early stage.

The exhibition combines film excerpts with objects from the history of film and theatre, including costumes, furniture, props, programme booklets, autograph cards and a large private collection of cinema and film posters from several countries.

It also examines more recent interpretations of Elisabeth. These include “Lissi and the Wild Emperor”, produced by Michael Herbig, which takes a deliberately humorous approach to the historical figure and was aimed in part at a younger audience.

While older productions often focused on court life and Elisabeth’s political role, newer films and series sometimes present her more as a media and pop-culture figure. Other recent productions address less familiar and problematic aspects of her biography, including Marie Kreutzer’s “Corsage”, which deals in part with Elisabeth’s melancholy and depressive phases.

The exhibition opens on September 23, 2026, Romy Schneider’s 88th birthday. It will be open from September 24 to January 11, 2027, and runs from the Baroque cellar of Innsbruck’s Hofburg to the imperial apartments.