The skies over Europe were heavy with tension. Rival empires, shifting military alliances, and the rise of nationalism had set the entire continent on edge, as if waiting for a spark to ignite a fire. In this charged atmosphere, the young Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austro-Hungary came under discussion. To various extremist groups, he was a marked target. On a sunny day in 1914, he traveled through Sarajevo, Bosnia with his wife in a green Graf and Stift automobile. A terrorist hurled a bomb at their car, but it bounced off the back and exploded elsewhere, leaving Franz Ferdinand unharmed while injuring his aides in the trailing car.[1] Stunned, the Archduke decided not to leave but to continue to the town hall to deliver his speech.
Afterward, the Archduke and his wife left the town hall, intending to visit the hospital to check on the wounded. However, their driver took a wrong turn. By the time he realized the mistake and paused for a few seconds to turn the car, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip shot at them. [1] [2] The royal couple was killed instantly, and this event would trigger the First World War.
Yet, remarkably, the story of that green “cursed” car did not end there. It seemed to carry death in its wake wherever it went.
After the assassination, the car remained with the military and was used for various purposes during the war. Its real notoriety, however, emerged in the post-war period when bizarre and unlucky incidents began to be associated with it.[1] One owner reportedly went mad and was committed to a mental hospital.[3] Another died in a car crash while driving it.[1] On another occasion, two farmers were killed after being hit by the vehicle.[1]
The most famous story concerns its last owner. Rumor has it that he bought the car and, considering its destructive reputation, decided the best way to rid himself of its curse was to donate it to a museum. Tragically, he died in an accident while driving it, along with four others. Later, when the car was placed in a Vienna museum, the museum itself was bombed during World War Two, nearly destroying the entire collection.
Was there truly a curse? Were all these incidents the result of some sinister force?
The truth is that the car still exists today. It is the centerpiece of Vienna’s military museum. Visitors can see the marks of the bullets and the bomb from the day Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. This serves as a reminder that the legends surrounding the car are human-made stories. Otherwise, we would not be able to witness this legendary vehicle with our own eyes. The car seems to tell us, “Do not believe the rumors. I am still here.”