Skip to content
VitrineVitrine
Sign in

Albrecht-Otto of Solms-Laubach

Laubach, 1576 – Breitenbend, 2 Mar 1610

12 facts2 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 1576

    Born in Laubach

  2. 1604–1607

    2 children are born

  3. 2 Mar 1610

    Dies in Breitenbend

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 2

During his lifetime

He lived through 5 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Laubach.

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

The 1570s · Albrecht-Otto is born in Laubach

In the news1575

Smallpox and measles epidemic (1575)

A widespread outbreak of smallpox and measles occurred in Holstein in 1575, severely impacting the lives of local families.

Getting around

Alternative methods of faster travel

While most people walked, specialized travel options included boats for river travel and the emerging mounted postal service. River travel was faster downstream, sometimes reaching up to 150 kilometers in 24 hours under optimal conditions, while mounted postal couriers could cover significantly more ground than a pedestrian.

In the news1572

Banking house collapse ruins economy (1572)

The collapse of the major merchant and banking house Loitz in Stettin in 1572 caused widespread economic turmoil throughout the region of Pomerania.

Daily life

Regulation of waste and public conduct

Public authorities in the 16th century strictly regulated domestic waste disposal, punishing the act of pouring urine or dirty dishwater onto the streets. Naked swimming was also heavily sanctioned, with eight men in Frankfurt being sentenced to four weeks of prison on bread and water for swimming in the Main river in 1541.

What people wore

The high value of clothing and tailoring

Clothing was highly valuable, often made to measure by tailors, and could be pawned to raise funds quickly. A typical working man's entire wardrobe might be worth only a few shillings to a pound.

Music

Professional city musicians, the Stadtpfeifer

Stadtpfeifer, or city pipers, were professional musicians employed by councils to perform on towers, in dance halls, and at public festivities using instruments like shawms, sackbuts, and slide brass.

At the table

Rare Festive Pastries

For ordinary families, sweet pastries fried in fat, known as Nonnenfürzle, were rare festive delicacies served on special occasions like church festivals. They were made from choux pastry and, according to local tradition, were named for the hissing sound they made as steam escaped in the hot fat.