Have you heard the story of the stole Sisi Star?
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sisi, was famous for her impossibly thin waist, flowing hair, and distinctive style. One of her most iconic looks comes from a portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, where she gazes over her bare left shoulder, her long hair cascading down her back, adorned with glittering Sisi stars. These diamond and pearl ornaments—known as Sisi Sterne—were crafted for the Empress by Viennese jewelers Köchert and Piote. But one of these legendary stars became the subject of an extraordinary heist, leading to one of the most bizarre jewelry thefts in Vienna’s history.
A Theft Covered Up
Over the years, Sisi’s stars have drawn admiration and, occasionally, criminal interest. In 1998, one was mysteriously stolen from an exhibition at Schönbrunn Palace—a crime that was almost immediately covered up by the Viennese police and press. In fact, before most people even realized the star was missing, newspapers were already reporting that it had been recovered. This was, however, a deliberate deception—a strategy meant to lure the thief into selling the jewelry on the local market. When that failed, the story quietly disappeared, and the exhibition continued, displaying a fake Sisi star without visitors suspecting a thing.
The Truth Comes Out—10 Years Later
It wasn’t until 2007 that the full story surfaced. Canadian criminal Gerald Daniel Blanchard was arrested for a series of robberies, and during the investigation, he claimed to possess a stolen piece of jewelry from the Empress of Austria. Authorities searched his grandmother’s basement, and sure enough—they found the missing Sisi star.
As it turns out, Blanchard had visited Schönbrunn in the summer of 1998 and set his sights on the star. Supposedly, he loosened the display case screws and left the window slightly ajar while alone in the room. Later that night, in a Hollywood-style stunt, he arranged for a helicopter to fly over Schönbrunn. He parachuted down, climbed into the open window and swapped the star for a cheap replica. He managed to escaped all the way to Canada, completely unnoticed.
The Stolen Star Returns
Because of the strange media strategy in 1998, Schönbrunn had no choice but to continue displaying the fake Sisi star. They did so for the remainder of the exhibition. It wasn’t until 2008, after Blanchard’s arrest for unrelated crimes, that the real Sisi star was finally recovered and returned to Vienna.
A theft, a cover-up, and a parachuting thief—this is no ordinary story. And while Sisi’s stars remain a symbol of elegance and mystery, one of them now has an even more unexpected past.
More stories await on our tours
Stories such as this are what our tours are all about! Book our highlights tour to discover Vienna’s must-see sights. Or let us guide you through Vienna’s ancient alleyways on our “Secrets in the heart of Vienna” tour. Lastly, book our Hofburg Palace tour to learn more about the interesting and tragic life of Sisi.
Source: Ruzicka, Johanna. “Fake-Schmuck in Schönbrunn: Als ein kanadischer Ganove Sisis Stern raubte“. In: Der Standard, 23. Juli 2018.
