The lives of three Esterházy princesses are authentically presented in Esterházy Palace as part of this guided tour. From the writing cabinet to the room where Empress Maria Ludovica liked to spend the night. Throughout the centuries, Esterházy Palace has not only been an object of representation, a stage, a meeting place for noble society at lavish parties or the quarters of illustrious guests on their country tours. Above all, however, it was also part of the Esterházy princesses' world. At the centre of the exhibition "The Princess's Apartment" are:
-Maria Josepha Hermenegilde (1768-1845), née Princess von und zu Liechtenstein. Wife of Prince Nikolaus II Esterházy.
-Maria Theresia (1794-1874), née Princess of Thurn and Taxis. Wife of Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy.
-Lady Sarah Frederica (1822-1853), née Child-Villiers, daughter of George Child-Villiers Earl of Jersey. Wife of Prince Nicholas III Esterházy.
Portraits, diaries, personal correspondence, business files and reports from contemporaries are just some of the sources that now make it possible for the first time to allow these women to step out of the shadow of their husbands. What was their life path, how were they woven into the complex web of representation and politics? What facets characterised their personalities, how were their everyday lives, celebrations, marriage and family life shaped? These questions are explored in the immediate living environment of the Esterházy princesses - their flats. Flat rooms and historical furniture The rooms in the west wing of Eisenstadt Palace, which together formed the flat of each princess, were researched, located and refurbished for the 2012 exhibition in terms of their historical design and use. Among the rooms, the former writing cabinet, in which Empress Maria Ludovika probably stayed during her visit to Eisenstadt in 1810, is particularly noteworthy and has been restored with its unique Asian silk wallpaper. Historical 19th century furniture from the collections of the Esterházy Private Foundation will be displayed in the flat for the first time in 2012, completing the world of the princely wives, whose fate is both astonishing and moving. For the first time, the area of the mezzanine floor directly above the Princess Apartment will also be open to the public. Here, the life of the chambermaids and servants who looked after their sovereigns is the subject of the exhibition. The "Red Salon", the former "sitting room of Her Serene Highness the Princess", which was also part of the flat, will receive a great deal of attention in 2012. The precious red and silver silk wallpapers from the first half of the 18th century provide the setting for objects relating to the history of Empress Sisi and Emperor Franz Joseph I, which also has links to that of the Esterházy princes.