Ferdinand I of Austria

What people wore

Clothing as Annual Servant Wages

Servants often received clothes as part of their annual wages, but these garments were made of less durable fabrics and inferior thread, causing them to wear out quickly within a year.

Getting around

Danube boat travel time

The Danube was a vital transport route, where the weekly 'Ordinari' boat from Regensburg to Vienna took at least one week to complete the 450-kilometer journey.

At the table

Potatoes become a staple food

During the second half of the eighteenth century, the potato became a vital staple food for lower social classes in the Habsburg monarchy because it was cheap, easy to grow, and yielded more than cereals.

Music

The rise of the Viennese waltz

By the end of the 18th century, the waltz emerged in Vienna as a popular dance that involved couples gliding smoothly in circles in three-four time. Dancers were so passionate about this style that the authorities even considered banning faster variations, and it eventually replaced the minuet as the most fashionable dance.

Daily life

Water, cooking, and food preservation challenges

Because many city wells were contaminated, residents often purchased water from street water-men, while cooking was done over open hearths or brick stoves that often left indoor environments smoky. Families preserved food by salting, drying, or storing items in cool, dark cellars to survive without modern refrigeration.

What it cost

Annual wages of farmhands and laborers

A common farmhand in the 18th century earned an annual salary of 10 to 20 goldens, although they also received free room and board. In comparison, a regular daily laborer might earn between 50 and 100 goldens per year.