Ernestine Charlotte of Nassau-Hadamar

At the table

Beer as the common drink

Beer was the customary daily drink for all ages, as local water sources were often heavily contaminated.

What people wore

Colorful and Practical Peasant Attire

Working women used vibrant color combinations for their daily clothing, such as olive gowns with red kirtles and pink sleeves, which provided a festive appearance despite lacking expensive applied decorations. Straw hats were common, practical headwear for those spending their days working outdoors.

Getting around

Pioneering five-hour canal schedules

The canal service between Brussels and Willebroek was a pioneering public transport system that officially required the journey to be completed in no more than five hours. To handle icy winter conditions, boats were sometimes reinforced with iron and pulled by many horses to act as icebreakers.

What it cost

Food prices in the 17th century

A pig cost 24 livres, while a bushel of red wheat was priced at 47 sous in the 17th century.

Music

Religious songs adapted from court music

The church sometimes repurposed popular secular French court songs, known as airs de cour, by writing new religious lyrics to the same melodies for the congregation to sing.

Daily life

Schooling in a single room

Education for children was often organized in a single common room of a house or an annexe, where boys and girls of all ages were taught together. Teachers used a ferule to punish students who misbehaved by striking the flat of their hand.