The span of the Habsburg Empire

The Habsburg Empire in 1914

Just how big was the Habsburg empire? The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy includes all of the green space above, which would, today, include the following countries:
Austria
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Croatia
 Czech Republic
 Hungary
 Italy
 Montenegro
 Poland
 Romania
 Serbia
 Slovakia
 Slovenia
 Ukraine

There were many different nationalities in the empire. 

And the empire contained names of geographical regions that are no longer frequently used, like Bohemia. 

Court kitchens and Kolaches

Although this was written about the winter residence (the Hofburg palace), it helps give a glimpse into the world of the cook and pastry cook:

"The court kitchens comprised various kitchen areas for the preparation of meat, cold meals and pastry confections. The Hofzehrgaden (Court Depot of Victuals), which dealt with the purchasing and storage of food, the Hofzuckerbäckerei (Court Confectionery), which produced sweetmeats, hot drinks, soft drinks and frozen dishes, plus the Hofkeller (Court Cellars), were all separate departments.
The day began early; from five o'clock, over 500 portions were prepared for breakfast. At midday, it took two hours to distribute the food. Since there was no canteen, meals were eaten at one's place of work, even if this was just a quiet corner in a corridor of the Hofburg."

Just what do kolaches look and taste like? Well, it looks like it can be as varied as these two shapes and have various fillings:

Court's strict hierarchy

The Ball at Court: 1898

It wasn't easy to get into the Habsburg court. Only the aristocracy, people born into high-ranking families, were invited. And once in the court, there were lots of rules to follow.

"Austrian aristocratic society was characterized by its strict hierarchy. In essence this meant the order of rank, a delicate issue that required precise knowledge of the history of these families and their privileges. For us today, it would seem a relatively simple task to decide who should stand, sit or walk, etc., in front of whom. At Court, however, such things represented the ‘social capital’ of the aristocrat. The order of rank reflected centuries in which noble honour had been accumulated over the generations. The principal distinctions were of title, such as prince, count, baron and so on, but within these ranks it was the point at which these titles had been acquired that was critical for one’s position at Court. What today often seems like pointless snobbery and an unwittingly comical obsession with titles was an essential part of the aristocracy’s conception of itself."
http://www.habsburger.net/en/#/en/reading-room/stories/high-society-2013-das-gesellschaftliche-leben-der-kaiserstadt/eine-allzu-geschlossene-gesellschaft

Differences in rank also played into large social events like the Court Ball (with around 2,000 people) and the Ball at Court  (only 700 of the most elite). For more information see:  http://english.habsburger.net/module-en/der-feine-unterschied-hofball-und-ball-bei-hof

The Empress: Elisabeth / Sisi

Empress in 1865

The Empress married when she was 16. She disliked the rigors of court life, was not close to her husband, and was frequently traveling out of Vienna for her health. Only family members called her "Sisi."

She disliked the rules that were part of court, but she was still expected to take part in them. At the Court Ball, "it was the social effect that was the focus of the event: the climax of the evening was the Cercle, when one exchanged a few words with Their Imperial Majesties. According to eye-witness accounts, conversation with Empress Elisabeth, who harboured deep reservations towards Court society, was rather slow and awkward. But until aristocratic young ladies, known as comtessen, had been presented to the Empress they could not ‘come out’ in society. It was a special honour for high-ranking ladies to be invited to take tea with the Empress, while the buffet was opened for the rest of the ball guests."

"In order to escape boredom, Elisabeth enjoyed exploring her surroundings alone on horse-back, much to the chagrin of her mother-in-law. It was not just that spontaneous horse-back rides without an appropriate chaperone were considered unseemly conduct on the part of an empress, but such adventures also represented a considerable security risk to Elisabeth."

The Empress had more than one room at the palace: "It is thus not surprising that Elisabeth had a private ‘garden apartment’ furnished for her-self on the ground in 1862, accessed via a spi-ral staircase from her official apartments on the first floor. These rooms reveal far more about Elisabeth’s predilections: she had the walls hung in lilac, her favourite colour, and had direct access made to the gardens which she could use unnoticed by palace staff. Near-by was the indoor riding school (today housing the collection of imperial carriages) where Elisabeth practised her dressage. She enjoyed riding in the more secluded parts of the park at Schönbrunn, often accompanied by her dogs: ‘At Schönbrunn, the Gloriette and those parts of the park that do not please the public belong to me’.

http://www.habsburger.net/en/#/en/reading-room/stories/schoenbrunn-2013-habsburgs-imperiales-prunkstueck/schoenbrunn-2013-letzter-glanz-und-finaler-schauplatz-der-monarchie

The Empress also wrote poetry. An early poem:

Fresh spring returns / And trims the trees with new green / And teaches new songs to birds / And makes the flowers bloom more beautifully. / But what is springtime bliss to me / Here I the faraway, strange land? / I long for the sun of home, / I long for the banks of the Isar.

Her favorite play was Midsummer Night's dream and referred to herself as Titania.

The Emperor: Franz Joseph

Emperor Franz Joseph began his rule when he was just 18 years old.

Emperor Franz Joseph in 1885

 
The Habsburg empire at this time shared little but its connection to the Habsburgs. They spoke different languages and included Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Rumanians, Slovakians and Italians, and regions like Bohemia and Bavaria that are no longer recognized. There were tensions between the nationalities, and in 1867, Franz Joseph signed a compromise with Hungary that later resulted in the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy.

Franz Joseph was not a lazy Emperor; he woke up every morning 4 a.m., ate his breakfast and lunch at his desk, and saw up to 100 people in the morning, most of whom he later remembered (he was known for having an almost photographic memory).
 He also had to control his family, was also difficult.

For more information about Franz Joseph, click here:
http://www.habsburger.net/en/#/en/1833-1918/family-tree/franz-joseph-i.-habsburg-lothringen

The Habsburgs

The Habsburgs were one of the most important royal families in Europe. At the time of the play, the Habsburg empire was also much bigger than Austria is today. "With a population of 56 million, the empire had developed over the course of the centuries into a multi-ethnic monarchy in which many different nationalities, including Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Rumanians, Slovakians and Italians, lived under the one crown." (see http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/things-to-know/the-habsburgs/franz-joseph-i.html

The Habsburgs formed major alliances between countries often through marriage. Marie Antoinette was first a Habsburg princess before becoming an (ill-fated) French queen. Napoleon's second wife was a Habsburg.

You can learn more about the dynasty and empire here:
http://www.habsburger.net/en/

Lippizaners

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maestoso_Basowizza_%26_Oberbereiter_Hausberger.jpg

Although they're silent, the Lippizaners are important characters in "The Lost Princess." The Lippizaners are a rare and highly trained breed of horses. The tricks that they can do, the poses they can take, and the steps they take are very graceful but they developed from the battlefield. They are now primarily used for competitions and performances. Still, if you look at the poses, you may recognize poses in both paintings and sculptures that generals and their horses take (like this:

 
Here are two videos of Lippizaners performing, one that showcases the different steps and poses Lippizaners can do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QkCJ6LhqDY&NR=1

... and one that was filmed at the Spanish Riding House in Vienna, which could have been much like the show Anna would have seen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn6Jmqs9IHQ&feature=related

The Palace

"The Lost Princess" takes place in the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. From 1569 to 1918, the palace belonged to the Habsburg (sometimes called Hapbsurg) empire. http://www.habsburger.net/en/#/en/reading-room/stories/schoenbrunn-2013-habsburgs-imperiales-prunkstueck

Oil on canvas by Bernardo Bellotto (1720-80), 1759-60.                        from http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=2659

You can see the palace by going to this website:
 http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/services/press-information/schoenbrunn-palace.html

You can

• take a video tour of the palace (http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/things-to-know/videos/tour-of-schoenbrunn-palace.html),
• see the room in 360 degrees(http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/things-to-know/360-view.html
• and even read about the zoo (yes, zoo!), http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/things-to-know/tour-through-the-park/schoenbrunn-zoo.html

and more!

View from Great Parterre towards Gloriette

The Lost Princess at The Bonderman Festival

 Hello!
This is a blog with resources that will help you explore the world of the play "The Lost Princess" by Nicole B. Adkins, which is part of the Bonderman Festival at Indiana Repertory Theatre.

For more on the Bonderman, just click here:
http://www.irtlive.com/artists_information/playwrights/bonderman_history/