Until now, as the narrative has unfolded, little has been said about Archduchess Marianne’s strained relationships with her mother, Empress Maria Theresa, and with some of her siblings — aside from the occasional hint here and there. In this chapter, the reader finally begins to glimpse these tensions more clearly.
Before anything else, however, the reader is granted rare access to the Empress’s office. When Maria Theresa ascended the throne in October 1740, she chose the Leopoldine Wing of the Hofburg Palace as both her family residence and the seat of government. The so-called bel étage on the first floor housed her private apartment as well as the reception and official rooms. The Imperial Privy Council, for instance, met there. The interiors were decorated in elaborate Rococo style, fully in keeping with the taste of the age. Her sons, Emperors Joseph II and Leopold II, preserved the same arrangement until the 1790s.
The Leopoldine Wing regained its governmental function only in the 1940s, when it became the official residence of the Federal President of Austria. The interior still preserves its Baroque atmosphere, and the Empress remains almost tangibly present in the numerous portraits adorning the walls. On certain occasions and under certain conditions, selected rooms are open to public tours.
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