Skip to content
VitrineVitrine
Sign in

Archduchess Maria Karoline of Austria

Vienna, 10 Sep 1825 – Baden, 17 Jul 1915

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 10 Sep 1825

    Born in Vienna

  2. 1844–1852

    Abbess of the Institution of Noble Ladies of the Prague Castle

  3. 17 Jul 1915

    Dies in Baden, aged 89

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

During her lifetime

She lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Vienna.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1820s · Archduchess is born in Vienna

Around the world1825–1830

The first passenger railway

In England a steam locomotive pulled the first public train in 1825; within decades railways crossed every continent.

At the table

Cheap Barley Coffee Substitute

Poor city dwellers bought a cheap, coffee-like breakfast drink made from roasted barley and syrup for 1 Kreuzer at wooden stalls.

What people wore

Handkerchiefs as multipurpose purses

Handkerchiefs served multiple roles: they were used for wiping sweat or the nose, and also functioned as purses to carry essentials like money or tobacco.

Getting around

Walking and river travel habits

In the early 19th century, people frequently traveled on foot, with messengers and workers walking between 25 and 40 kilometers daily. On the Danube, cargo boats called ordinari took at least a week to travel the 450 kilometers from Regensburg to Vienna.

What it cost

Extreme food price volatility

Food prices in the Austrian Empire were highly volatile during this period, particularly around 1811 when a bushel of wheat cost 60 florins, compared to just 4 florins in 1812 and 1824. Such sharp fluctuations made it difficult for ordinary people to maintain a stable supply of basic grains like wheat and corn.

Music

Popular folk instruments of the era

Common village instruments included the fiddle and the hammered dulcimer, while the shepherd's pipe and jew's harp were popular for casual entertainment.

Daily life

Cooking without stoves or ovens

Cooking was performed on an open fire without a stove or oven, meaning roasted dishes and cakes were not part of the standard menu. All household tasks were carried out by human or animal muscle power without the aid of machines.