Princess Henriette Dorothea of Oettingen-Oettingen

What people wore

Women's mourning caps in Scheeßel

A woman in the Scheeßel parish typically owned about 11 different caps, five of which were used exclusively for mourning periods.

Daily life

Difficult and contaminated water access

Getting drinkable water was labor-intensive, often involving fetching it from ditches or rivers that were also used for sewage disposal. Nearby wells were frequently contaminated by sewage as well.

News and letters

Chaotic cargo on post wagons

Post wagons often carried a chaotic mix of goods, including barrels, crates, and even unpackaged game like deer or pigs.

Music

Village dance in 1678 with bagpipes

A painting of a 1678 village dance shows young people dancing to a bagpiper and a drummer while villagers drink beer in the outdoor setting.

At the table

Alcoholic beverages replaced water for safety

People rarely drank water due to contamination risks, relying instead on wine or beer, which were considered safer because of the fermentation process. Milk was almost exclusively for small children, as most of it was processed into butter and cheese for storage.

Getting around

River travel from Regensburg to Vienna

Starting in 1696, boats called 'Ordinari' transported passengers down the Danube from Regensburg to Vienna, a distance of about 450 kilometers that took at least one week.

Work

Rural Dominance and Shared Household Living

About 80 to 90 percent of the population lived in rural areas, working as farmers or laborers, while town dwellers often worked in skilled crafts or trade. Rural life was dominated by subsistence farming, where families shared their homes with livestock and often rendered labor services to a landlord.