Empress Sissi in Zandvoort

Around May 1884, the Empress of Austria-Hungary (also known as empress Sissi) traveled incognito to Amsterdam under the name Countess of Hohenembs. She came to consult the famous medical doctor J.G. Meszger about her ailments, including sciatica. On May 9th, 1884, she and her daughter Valeria and their entourage came to the Zandvoort beach for a long walk. They dined that evening in Hotel Von Kaufmann. Empress Sissi stayed in the hotel from May 18th to June 10th. One year later she and her entourage returned to stay in the, for that time, very luxurious villa of Mr. Ricard on the north boulevard. From there, she went on outings on the steam ship Sante Cecilia and regularly visited Dr. Mezger in Amsterdam. At the end of March of that year, she left the fishing village never to return. The village hasn't forgotten empress Sissi, and to honor her visits a bust depicting her was placed on the Boulevard Barnaart. Sissi also has a tile on the Walk of Fame in Zandvoort town center.