Lainzer Tiergarten

This guide to Lainzer Tiergarten in Vienna centers on the Hermesvilla, the retreat Emperor Franz Joseph built between 1882 and 1886 for his wife Empress Elisabeth, known as Sisi, inside this walled former royal hunting ground. You'll hear about the gymnasium and Shakespeare-themed bedroom he added trying to keep her in Vienna, and the centuries-old stone wall that once penned deer and boar for the imperial hunt. Listen for how little even a palace built just for her could hold her there.