Katarzyna Telniczanka

What people wore

Footwear and status of clothing

Peasant footwear ranged from simple leather forms to boots, and clothing was considered portable wealth that was often stored, inherited, or used as a pledge. Married women were expected to cover their hair with bonnets or scarves, often adding a secondary headcloth called a podwika to cover the neck and décolletage.

Daily life

Modest wooden homes with open fires

Peasant families lived in modest wooden houses that usually consisted of a single room containing a stove for heating and cooking. Some households in Samogitia used a traditional 'numas' structure, which featured an open fireplace instead of a stove.

Work

Common Jobs and Labour Obligations

Peasant families frequently worked as farmers, cultivating rye, barley, and oats while raising livestock like pigs and cows. Many were required to provide compulsory labour, known as pańszczyzna, on the lord's estate for at least one to two days each week.

Music

Performers in city inns

In the 16th century, musicians called igrcy sang lighthearted and sometimes ribald songs in city inns, which were heavily criticized and discouraged by the clergy.

At the table

Beer soup for breakfast

Beer was the most common everyday drink, often consumed in the morning as a thick beer soup.

Getting around

Difficult conditions for travelers and inns

Roads were often in poor condition, and finding suitable overnight shelter was difficult, with some inns described as being little better than a cattle-shed.

What it cost

Purchasing power of weekly wages

For one week's wages, a laborer could purchase approximately 100 liters of beer or a pair of shoes, which cost 7 to 8 grossi.