Page - 282 - in Österreich-Ungarns imperiale Herausforderungen - Nationalismen und Rivalitäten im Habsburgerreich um 1900

© 2020, V&R unipress GmbH, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783847110606 – ISBN E-Lib: 9783737010603 way to the stationhehad theopportunity to see ‘Pozsonybynight’ for thecity was illuminated in his honor.During theweek following the inauguration the presscontinuedtoreportonvariousaspectsthusmaintainingtheinterestofthe public and celebrating local pride. However it was certainly easier to com- memorateapersonalityaboutwhomtherewasaconsensus inHungary thanto celebratethepresentruler.IndeedonlyonerelevantstatueofFrancisJosephwas erected on theHungarian territory (a bust of himwas put up in the arcades surroundingSzeged cathedral): hewasoneof theHabsburg rulers figuringon the colonnade of theMillenniummonument in Budapest. There were not so manyinAustriaeitherbecauseofthedifficulty toportraysomeonewhowasstill alive.22Hiswife, Elisabeth, who had shown sympathy for theMagyars before 1867 was more willingly commemorated after she was assassinated in 1898: statuesofherarestill standing inBudapest,EsztergomandMakj.23 ThesamecouldbesaidforTriestewhereapartfromthemonumentdedicated toMaximilian,nootherHabsburgrulerwashonoredthereexceptElisabeth.The creationofthememorialwasnotconsensualeitherforalreadyatthenewsofthe assassinationtherehadbeensometroubles inthecity.Theinformationthat the murdererwasanItaliancausedspontaneousdemonstrationsofhostilityagainst irredentism.Thepress insistedonthe fact thatLuigiLuccheniwasananarchist born in Paris and living in Switzerland but the Italian newspapers were un- comfortable about the possible identification in the public opinion. Il Piccolo tried toput theblameon theSlovenes bymentioning that another anti-Italian demonstrationhad takenplace inLaibach. InTrieste a crowdof some200–300 persons shouted “abasso” (down) andmarched in the streets. The paper was outragedat theapparentpassivityof thepolice.24 Intheendsomethirtypeople wereindeedarrestedbutthetroubleswentonforafewdays.IlPiccolonotedwith someperfidy that thearrestedpersonsboreGermanandSlavicnames.25 TheprojectoferectingamonumenttoEmpressElisabethwasfirstmentioned in1900: it emanated froman initiativeofworkers shockedby the fact that the murdererwaspresented as aworker. Theywanted tounite in their project the populations of the littoral but as was expected, they could not find enough financial support. In1902a committeewas constitutedwithprominentnames susceptible to attract donations.26 One of the leaders was Mario Morpurgo, memberofoneofthewealthiestJewishfamiliesofTrieste.Finallyaconsiderable 22 Urbanitsch,PluralistMythandNationalistRealities (seenote12),p. 121. 23 Inotherplacesaswell shewasspared thedamnatiomemoriae thatbefellherhusband: she hadplayednopart in the ruling systemandwas somehow ‘sanctified’ byher tragicdeath. 24 IlPiccolo, 6091(12.09.1898)S.1. 25 IlPiccolo, 6092(13.09.1898)S.1. 26 Festschrift ausAnlass der EnthüllungdesKaiserin ElisabethDenkmals inTriest. Separat- ausgabedesTriesterTagblatt,Triest1912,p. 36. CatherineHorel282