Sibylle Margarethe von Brieg

At the table

Prisoner rations in 1629

Prisoners in the 1629 Gdansk Forced Labour House received weekly rations of 1.5 pounds of bread, 0.5 pounds of meat or 0.25 pounds of fat, and small amounts of cheese and butter.

What people wore

Valuable Noblewoman's Clothing

Seventeenth-century noblewomen's wills show that items like fur-lined coats, velvet dresses, and specific headgear such as caps and wimples were vital assets, sometimes valued higher than silver or jewelry.

Getting around

Average daily travel distances

Travel was slow, with people on foot covering 20–25 km per day and carriages covering 25–30 km per day. Large magnate processions were similarly slow, often traveling only 25–30 km daily.

What it cost

Food consumed most of a worker's wages

In the first half of the 17th century, daily nutrition costs rose significantly, consuming between 60% and 80% of a worker's total wages.

Music

Stryjanka dance at home

The stryjanka dance, performed at home to the accompaniment of a violin, consisted of a stately march followed by a lively mazurka.

Daily life

Modest wooden peasant homes

Peasant homes were modest wooden farmhouses, with some in Samogitia using a numas with an open central fireplace for cooking and heating. Others used stoves, sometimes without chimneys, which released smoke directly into the living space.