Franz Joseph I. erinnern oder „Das Imperium schlägt zurück“

Remembering Franz Joseph I or The Empire Strikes BackThe paper tries to describe the multiple ways of reception concerning the figure of Emperor Franz Joseph I in the present and mainly in the middle-European context. The presence of the royal icon is visible in the field of historical science and culture, and as a product label on the market. The article aims to show how tricky it can be to try to differentiate between the so called “historical”and the “mythical” dimensions of the icon – and that there can be many ways in which this attempt can fail.Remembering Franz Joseph I or The Empire Strikes BackThe paper tries to describe the multiple ways of reception concerning the figure of Emperor Franz Joseph I in the present and mainly in the middle-European context. The presence of the royal icon is visible in the field of historical science and culture, and as a product label on the market. The article aims to show how tricky it can be to try to differentiate between the so called “historical”and the “mythical” dimensions of the icon – and that there can be many ways in which this attempt can fail