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Prince Claus of the Netherlands

Hitzacker, 6 Sep 1926 – Amsterdam, 6 Oct 2002

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 6 Sep 1926

    Born in Hitzacker

  2. 1967–1969

    3 children are born

  3. 1980–2002

    Consort of the Netherlands

  4. 6 Oct 2002

    Dies in Amsterdam, aged 76

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 3

During his lifetime

He lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Hitzacker.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1920s · Prince is born in Hitzacker

In the news1923–1927

Currency restabilization fueled economic recovery by 1927

Following the restabilization of the currency in late 1923, Germany secured 800 million gold marks in foreign loans by 1927, which helped industrial production return to 1913 levels.

Getting around

Railways dominated long-distance travel by 1914

By 1914, Germany had one of the world's densest railway networks, which by then far outperformed road transport in both speed and cost for long-distance travel. Express trains reached speeds of 90 to 100 kilometers per hour, allowing travel from Berlin to Munich in a significantly reduced time compared to previous eras.

At the table

Survival diets and rural sourcing

During times of severe inflation and food shortages, families often relied on potatoes and legumes, as meat, eggs, and butter became luxury items that disappeared from many tables. Many city dwellers engaged in so-called hamster trips to the countryside to obtain food directly from farmers when supplies in shops were scarce.

The Spanish flu. A flu pandemic infected a third of humanity and killed some 50 million people, more than the war that had just ended.Around the world · 1918–1920

The Spanish flu. A flu pandemic infected a third of humanity and killed some 50 million people, more than the war that had just ended.

Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine · public domain

What people wore

Functional fashions replaced the corset

In the 1920s, the corset fell out of fashion, replaced by functional dresses without emphasized waists and shorter hemlines ranging from knee to calf length. Women often used foundation garments like hip-shaping belts to achieve the modern silhouette.

Music

Improvised jazz instruments

Early jazz bands often lacked professional equipment, so they created rhythm using everyday objects like bells, tin cans, brooms, jugs, and automobile horns.

Daily life

Modern Apartments with Running Water

New public housing apartments offered improved living conditions with central heating, built-in kitchens, and private bathrooms featuring hot and cold running water. Such modern units were rare and highly sought after, with some families waiting years on urgent priority lists to secure them.