Elvira Madigan and Sixten Sparre - real Romeo and Juliet and the story of their tragic love (10 photos)

Everyone knows the story of the political confrontation between the Montagues and the Capulets, which led to the death of the young lovers. Even cynical and hard-hearted citizens who are alien to all kinds of love nonsense are impressed by her.





Meanwhile, in real life there are cases no less tragic and touching compared to the works of the great playwright.



Elvira Madigan

The captivating appeal of Romeo and Juliet lies in the defiance of the lovers, their struggle with circumstances and the final tragedy, which speaks to us all. Pain, sadness and eternal young love attract people looking for romance.

In the story of Elvira Madigan and Sixten Sparre, many have found parallels with the tragic love of Juliet and her Romeo. Who were these lovers?

Elvira Madigan





Born Hedevig Antoinette Isabella Eleanor Jensen, Elvira Madigan was a talented circus performer and excellent tightrope dancer. Everyone who saw her called the girl a beauty. The girl was born in Denmark on December 4, 1867, born in the circus where her parents worked - the Norwegian artist Miss Ulbinski (Laura Madigan) and the Dane Frederik Peter Jensen. And her fate was predetermined.

Her family later adopted another girl, Gisela, who also became a tightrope dancer. Gisela and Elvira grew up and trained together.



Their performances became known to the general public, and the duo began to be invited to perform in elite circles and in front of large audiences. The girls were even invited to perform in front of the Danish royal family, after which the king awarded each a gold cross. After Gisela left the circus, Elvira continued performing solo and gained even greater fame.

Fateful acquaintance



Sixten Sparre

In early 1888, while Elvira Madigan was performing in Kristianstad, she was spotted by a dragoon lieutenant named Sixten Sparre. As soon as Sixten Sparre saw Elvira, he was enchanted. Unfortunately, the young soldier was already married. But when has marital status interfered with love?

Elvira Madigan shone like a star as she walked the tightrope. She had an amazing figure, honed by years of training in the circus. The charming features and long hair captivated the heart of Sixten Sparre. He decided to seek her favor at any cost.

Sixten Sparre was a Swedish nobleman and lieutenant, as well as a journalist and poet. He was born on September 27, 1854 in Malmo, Sweden, and was thirteen years older than Elvira. The man entered into a profitable marriage with Countess Luitgard Adlerkreutz and was the father of two children.

But all this was trifles for Sparre, who found Elvira and began to persistently write to her. At first, the artist did not show much interest in him. She tried many times to stop their correspondence, but to no avail.



The hotel in Svendborg where the lovers lived

Sparre was persistent and tried to convince Elvira to leave her family and circus career and marry him. The lieutenant even threatened to commit suicide if Elvira did not run away with him. He also hid his true marital status and status from Elvira. Perhaps if she knew the truth, she would not have given up everything for the sake of great love.

Although Sixten Sparre was a nobleman and highly respected in society, things were not going smoothly for him financially. He lost his fortune and was deeply in debt. Whether Elvira knew about all this before or after her escape is unclear. At first, Madigan tried to avoid the advances of Sixten Sparre. However, after a nervous breakdown and long persecution, she finally agreed to run away with him.

On May 28, 1889, she left her family's circus camp and secretly left with a lieutenant. Until the escape, the family knew nothing about the correspondence between their daughter and Sparre. He prepared well, taking two months off before heading to meet Madigan in Bollnas.

Then they moved to Stockholm. By this time, Madigan's family already knew what had happened to their daughter, and the mother tried to intercept the fugitive before she moved on. However, the couple managed to escape and went to Svendborg, where they lived in a city hotel for almost a month.

The end of a fairy tale



Place of death

Trouble began when the hotel presented them with a bill for their stay, and Sparre was unable to pay it. Debts ruined him, and Elvira shared the sorrows of her chosen one. The couple went to Thasing, where they lived in a guest house for some time until all the remaining money ran out.

There, on July 18, their story came to an end. The couple went to the forests of Tasing, and Sixten Sparre killed his beloved Elvira with a service revolver. Having shot her, he committed suicide the next morning with the same revolver.



Still from the 1967 film “Elvira Madigan”

Their bodies were found next to each other three days after their deaths. The tragic death and romantic love became the stuff of legend, and many stories, poems and films have been created based on this true story.



Still from the 1967 film “Elvira Madigan”

The novel between Elvira Madigan and Sixten Sparre remained in the memory of subsequent generations. The lovers were buried side by side in the Landet cemetery in Thasing, where a memorial was erected in honor of their love.



Graves of Elvira Madigan and Sixten Sparre