Neither Emperor and King Franz Joseph, nor his younger brother, Archduke Maximilian, showed much interest in the matter of Danube steam navigation. Nevertheless, it was in the government’s interest to do everything it could to ensure the success of both DDSG and Österreichischer Lloyd, which was involved in maritime navigation, both domestically and during the negotiation of international agreements. The importance of DDSG and its shipyard in Óbuda is shown by the fact that one of the program items during the monarch’s visit to Hungary in 1857 was a visit to the shipyard. This was also of great importance because on 10 August 1844, the steamship named after him was launched in the presence of István Széchenyi. The Hungarian national anthem was sung publicly for the first time during the event.
The purpose of Franz Joseph’s visit was therefore to present an image of the DDSG as a large corporation loyal to the Habsburgs. The temporary structures used during the visit were designed and built by construction supervisor János Prokopp (1825-1894).