Page - 283 - 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 amountofmoneywasraisedandthecommitteestartedwiththecall forprojects in 1906. The competition was successful; 58 applications were received and displayed in themain hall of the stock exchange (Borsa) in 1908.27 The date markedthe10thanniversaryof theassassinationaswellas thecelebrationofthe emperor’s jubilee.Thereisverylittlementionaboutthat intheItalianpressthat seemstohaveshownlessinterestforthemonument.Yetthelocationchosenwas significant: the square in front of the southern railway station. TheViennese sculptor FranzSeifertwas commissioned tobuild themonument representing Elisabethstandinginfrontofanarmchairandflankedwithart-nouveaureliefsof femaleallegoriesandpeoplepayinghomagetoher.Seifertwasalreadyknownfor havingdesignedfunerarymonumentsandmemorialssuchastheonededicated toStraussandLannerintheparkoftheViennesetownhall(Rathauspark).28The inaugurationwas firstplanned for1911and finally tookplaceon15December 1912:29 itwasnotamajorevent,barelymentionedinthelocalpress,theemperor wasrepresentedbyhisson-in-lawArchdukeFrancisSalvator,amasswasserved bytheTriestebishopandthechorals–amongthemtheElisabeth-anthem–were performed by theTriesterMännergesang-Verein thus giving the ceremony an entirelyHabsburgcharacter. Thedynasticcommemorationswereanothermomentofidentificationmeant touniteall citizensregardlessof languageor faith.Twomajorcelebrationswere organizedallover theempire forFrancis Joseph jubilees in1898and1908.The formerwasovershadowed inHungaryby the successof theMillenniumfestiv- itiesof1896andtherewas lessenthusiasmandmoney toglorify thesovereign; butitalsowasburdenedbyElisabeth’sdeathinSeptember:mostofthefestivities thatweretotakeplaceatyear’sendhadtobecancelled.InHungary1898proved tobeproblematicbecauseof theplannedcommemorationof the fiftieth anni- versaryof the1848Revolution.Following theCompromiseandthesubsequent coronationofFrancisJoseph, theHungarianshaddevelopedtheirowndynastic agenda:theycelebratedin1892the25yearsofthiseventandplannedtoorganize the 50th jubilee in 1917. They therefore engaged inwhat P8ter Han#k called –paraphrasing RobertMusil’sManwithout Qualities – a “parallel action” to commemorate theRevolutionbut thedebatewas fierce at theParliament over whichdate tochoose:March15wasalreadyunofficiallycelebratedbutsensible whereasApril 11 (thedayonwhichkingFerdinandratified the existenceof an independentgovernment)wasseenbythegovernmentofBaronDezso˝B#nffyas 27 DieEntwürfe fürdasKaiserin-ElisabethDenkmal inTriest, in: TriesterZeitung57 (09.03. 1908), S. 2. 28 FestschriftausAnlassderEnthüllungdesKaiserinElisabethDenkmalsinTriest(seenote26), p. 38. 29 Ilmonumentoall’ImperatriceElisabettaperTrieste, in:LaMonarchia25(01.11.1910)S.1. ImperialChallenges inAustro-HungarianMulticulturalCities 283