In the footsteps of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) in Elche Spain

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The life and travels of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) always have fascinated me, you can find lots of her travels on this link.  In Austria she felt restless and she always was very keen to be on her way to the most beautiful destinations. Following her footsteps  resulted in a never ending wishlist but from time to time it is a  surprise to visit places where Empress Elisabeth of Austria was before. I must admit: those places are true treasures. One of them is Elche, (also called Elx) in the province of Alicante in Spain.

Elche Palm Trees picture taken in October 2022

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Source picture: Wikipedia

 In 1894, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) arrived at the port of Alicante. Then she traveled further to Elche, where she was shown an amazing garden. 

Port of Alicante in Spain, October 2022

The Empress was very impressed when she looked at the palm tree. She suggested to give them her name. (Imperial Palm). 


She also visited the The Huerto del Cura. 




The Huerto del Cura, 13,361 m², started in 1876, when farmer Andrés Castaño Peral bought a plot of the orchard in which he lived as a lease from Juan Espuche. Upon his death, the orchard was inherited by his sons, its owner being the second of them, chaplain José Castaño Sánchez, born on May 12, 1843. For this reason, the orchard was known as  Chaplain Castaño's, and later definitively called Huerto del Cura.


From 1940 to 1958 it was owned by the scholarly intellectual from Elche, Juan Orts Román, who has works on the Palm Trees, the Palm Grove and the Mystery of Elche. Thanks to his efforts, in 1943 this garden was declared a National Artistic Garden. This part of Elche was  listed on the World Heritage Site of Unesco in 2000.

We took these pictures in October 2022. The weather then wasn't that good, I hope Empress Elisabeth enjoyed nicer weather during her stay at Elche. 

Location: Elx, Alicante, Spanje

Comments

Vallypee said…
What an interesting post, Kathleen. You really discover the most unusual facts about your royal personalities! Have you been to these gardens?
November 25, 2022 at 4:46 PM
Kathleen Van Lierop said…
Hi Val, thank you very much for your lovely comment! yes we've been to these gardens in October this year. (not the best weather though) I like to do research about royals, in books magazines .. and of cours I'm very fond on traveling topics and tourism
November 25, 2022 at 4:59 PM
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