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The castles of Empress Sisi
7 châteaux listed
7 places of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, from Bavaria to Normandy, with admission prices and opening seasons.
Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria, was born on 24 December 1837 in Munich, at the Herzog-Max-Palais on Ludwigstraße, demolished in 1937. She spent her childhood summers at Possenhofen on Lake Starnberg, the residence of her father, Duke Max in Bavaria. Engaged to Franz Joseph at Bad Ischl in 1853, she married him in Vienna in 1854.
Her father also owned the moated castle of Unterwittelsbach near Aichach, bought in 1838, where she spent several summers; the town, its owner since 1999, has made it the Sisi Castle, with an exhibition every summer. On Lake Starnberg her cousin Ludwig II received her at the Casino on Rose Island. In Regensburg her elder sister Helene, Princess of Thurn und Taxis, died on 16 May 1890 with Elisabeth at her bedside.
In France she rented the château of Sassetot-le-Mauconduit, near Fécamp, for the summer of 1875; it is now the Château de Sissi hotel. Her great residences, Schönbrunn, the Hofburg, the Kaiservilla at Bad Ischl, Gödöllő in Hungary and the Achilleion on Corfu, lie outside our map, which covers France and Germany only.
This page lists all 7, with the adult admission price where we know it, the opening season and a map.
The places, one by one
From the best known to the most discreet. Prices are for one adult; the season comes from the opening periods each place publishes.
Possenhofen Castle
Pöcking, Bayern
Her family’s summer residence, where she grew up; the castle is divided into private flats and only the lakeside park is open.
Season not published
Sisi Castle Unterwittelsbach
Aichach, Bayern
A moated castle bought by her father in 1838, where she spent several summers; Sisi museum open from mid-April to the end of October.
Adult admission: €5Season not published
Hours to be confirmed
Château de Sassetot (Sassetot Castle)
Sassetot-le-Mauconduit, Seine-Maritime
She spent the summer of 1875 here; it is now the Château de Sissi hotel and restaurant.
Season not published
Casino on Rose Island
Feldafing, Bayern
The villa on Rose Island where Ludwig II received the empress; ferry and guided tour from May to mid-October.
Adult admission: €5Open May to May
Hours to be confirmed
St. Emmeram's Palace
Regensburg, Bayern
Seat of the Thurn und Taxis, the family of her sister Helene, who died in Regensburg in 1890 with Elisabeth present.
Season not published
Herzog-Max-Palais
Maxvorstadt, Bayern
Her birthplace, demolished in 1937; a plaque marks the site on Ludwigstraße in Munich.
Season not published
Schloss Kühbach (Kühbach Castle)
Kühbach, Bayern
Owned by her father, Duke Max in Bavaria; the castle is lived in and not open to visitors.
Season not published
The map
The 7 places on this page. Tap a point to open its page.
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The route
Possenhofen and Feldafing park, where the Rose Island ferry leaves, are about three kilometres apart: a morning. Aichach is about an hour’s drive north-west of Munich, with Kühbach ten kilometres away; keep Regensburg for another day.
| Stop | From the previous stop |
|---|---|
| 1.Possenhofen Castle · Pöcking | |
| 2.Casino on Rose Island · Feldafing | 2 km |
| 3.Sisi Castle Unterwittelsbach · Aichach | 60 km |
| 4.Schloss Kühbach (Kühbach Castle) · Kühbach | 3 km |
| 5.St. Emmeram's Palace · Regensburg | 89 km |
154 km in a straight line overall
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Empress Sisi’s castle?
- In Bavaria, Sisi grew up at Possenhofen Castle on Lake Starnberg, now private. The Sisi Castle at Unterwittelsbach, near Aichach, is a museum open in summer. In France, the Château de Sissi at Sassetot-le-Mauconduit, in Seine-Maritime, where she spent the summer of 1875, is a hotel. Her Austrian residences, Schönbrunn and the Hofburg, are in Vienna.
- Can you visit Possenhofen Castle?
- No. The castle was converted into private flats in the 1980s; you can only walk in the park by the lake.
- Empress Sisi castles: which ones are open all year?
- None is listed as open all year in the opening periods we have collected. Check each page before you go.