A SCULPTURE of Empress Maria Theresa made out of white Carrara marble used to decorate the Danube embankment.
The monument by local artist Ján Fadrus was unveiled in 1897. Francis Joseph I attended the ceremony. Maria Theresa, who ruled between 1740 and 1780, was one of the most successful and adept rulers of the Habsburg dynasty. She was crowned Queen of Hungary in Bratislava in 1741.
But the sculpture's life was not as long or and successful as the real person. During turbulent times in 1921, when former Hungarian king Charles I attempted to retake the throne, rioting supporters of the republic destroyed it. Part of it ended up in the river, another part was used for other sculptures and other fragments were taken as souvenirs.
This postcard shows the sculpture during the times of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.
