Today, more than two million visitors flock to Schönbrunn Palace each year in search of waltz-induced bliss and “Sisi” kitsch. But behind its noble facade, the imperial plaster and the sheen of the ruling elite are crumbling—especially when one takes a closer look at the palace’s 300-year history and the lives of its residents. Historians Elfriede Iby and Anna Mader-Kratky have done just that. After years of meticulous research, they uncovered the palace’s last remaining secrets—secrets that reveal how its visual and architectural grandeur often stood in stark contrast to the everyday lives of both rulers and the ruled.
Some 3,000 servants lived in the outbuildings that kept the court and palace running during imperial times. As a center of power and government, the palace had to do more than simply impress—it had to function.
Behind its elegant exteriors, the palace formed a city within a city—a microcosm of the class society, tightly packed into a confined space.
An incredible amount of effort was expended for the benefit of the ruling class. Parts of the palace still bear witness to this today: from lavish banquets where fully set tables were hoisted by pulleys to the bel étage, to fireworks, elaborate fountains, “vegetarian menageries,” and “pleasure spots” hidden in the palace gardens…
All this took place while much of the palace staff often turned to heavy drinking in an attempt to forget their bleak circumstances.
The rigid court ceremonial led to many peculiarities—some of which, from a modern perspective, make us smile before sending a chill down our spines: from the “problems” with nonexistent toilet facilities to the bizarre relationship the Viennese court had with death and the mummified remains stored in a crypt complex…
As the power center of the Holy Roman Empire, Schönbrunn was also a place rich in symbolism. Dramatic events and tragedies unfolded here, chronicled in contemporary reports and sources that the historians unearthed and reinterpreted. Napoleon himself resided in the palace after defeating the army of Emperor Francis II—a humiliating blow that ultimately led to an assassination attempt against him.
The film tells the story of the palace through the eras of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Franz Joseph I.
We explore what hidden traces they left behind in the palace complex and venture into the concealed corners of this magnificent site-places that lead us into a completely unknown universe, hidden behind the facade of one of Europe's grandest monuments.
Documentary
90 min.
Written and directed by Klaus T. Steindl
A production by EPO-Film and KREATIVkraft
