Zofia Piasecka

At the table

Beer as a daily staple

Beer was the most common everyday drink, often served as soup with breadcrumbs or given to children and pregnant women for strength.

What people wore

Wages paid in clothing in 1552

In 1552, a servant at the Vilnius Mint received an annual compensation package that included 1.5 kopa of coins, a sheepskin coat valued at 20 groschen, a garment of Lithuanian cloth worth 25 groschen, boots for 10 groschen, and two shirts for 8 groschen.

Getting around

Daily travel speed for commoners

In the second half of the 16th century, the average speed for travelers on foot or in carts laden with goods was about 25–30 km per day.

What it cost

Everyday costs for workers

A pair of shoes cost 7 to 8 grosze, which represented about four days of work for an unskilled laborer. Meat was more expensive, with a large portion of pork costing 18 to 20 grosze, or nearly two weeks of work.

Music

Social rules in the stryjanka dance

In the dance known as stryjanka, the violinist led the household members in the first part, while respectable people refrained from dancing the second, more lively part to observe others instead.

Daily life

Cooking and lighting challenges

Cooking happened in multipurpose living spaces or entryways using cauldrons suspended on complex, expensive iron hooks that allowed height adjustment over the fire. Because light was poor and candles were prohibitively expensive, many food preparation tasks were performed outdoors.