Andrei Stenbock-Fermor

What people wore

Black embroidery for mourning heroes

In the Domažlice region, women wore collars embroidered in black to mourn a popular hero, Kozina, who was executed there.

Getting around

Travel time between Prague and Brno

In 1918, the rail journey between Prague and Brno took six hours, and even with later improvements, it took five hours by 1960.

At the table

Working-class diets relied on meatless staples

Ordinary working-class families often survived on a daily diet of coffee substitute made from chicory or grain, eaten with bread, and thick meatless soups. Meat was a rarity, typically reserved for Sundays, while vegetables like potatoes, legumes, and cabbage formed the daily base.

Music

Brass Bands and Enthusiastic Prague Audiences

Brass bands were central to Prague's cultural life, with military and civilian ensembles performing dozens of times each week in summer at parks and garden pubs. These performances were so popular that audiences often demanded encores, such as the march Hey, Gretel, which was once repeated three times due to overwhelming applause.

Daily life

Living conditions and lighting in homes

Families often lived in a single heated room, where children slept on benches with special tips to prevent them from falling. Due to the high cost of candles and lamps, light was often provided by simple, inexpensive wooden torches that burned for about ten minutes at a time.

What it cost

Low agricultural wages for families

Some women working in agriculture earned only 24 kreutzers per day for labor lasting from sunrise to sunset, while young boys received 12 kreutzers.