Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, was born in Munich on Christmas Eve in 1837, married Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph at age 16 in 1854, and quickly became the Princess Diana of her century. Hers was a life of passion, loneliness and pathos. A strikingly beautiful woman, "Sisi" was beloved by the people. At the same time, she suffered as she tried to become accustomed to the etiquette and customs of the royal court. Instead, she fled and spent much of her time traveling. Eventually, she developed into a confident and energetic woman who lived her life with independence. She died at the hands of an assassin in Geneva in 1898.

Augsburg is the western terminus of the Sisi Road, which travels through Bad Ischl, Austria, where she met Franz Joseph, and Vienna, where she lived in the Hofburg and Schönbrunn. The Road continues into Hungary to Gödöllö Palace near Budapest.

Sisi, the granddaughter of King Maximilian Josef of Bavaria, spent much of her childhood in the countryside castle of Unterwittelsbach, about 20 miles from Augsburg. Her life centered on nature, animals and riding. Around this moated castle, Sisi's father, Duke Max of Bavaria, had large hunting grounds where today visitors can enjoy the biking and hiking paths of a "Sisi-Tour." One of the stops is the nearby Kühbach Castle which also belonged to Max. The Sisi castle in Unterwittelsbach can be viewed only from the outside except during an annual exhibition from July to November.

For further information, contact:
Regio Augsburg Tourismus GmbH
Schießgrabenstr. 14
D-86150 Augsburg
Phone: +49 821-50207-0
Fax: +49 821-50207-45
tourismus[at]regio-augsburg.de 
www.augsburg-tourismus.de