Peter I of Serbia

Getting around

Horse-drawn travel and ferry delays

Traveling by car of the country pulled by two horses, a journey from Widdin to the Serbian frontier took six hours. Crossing the Timok river via ferry could be challenging, sometimes taking over an hour due to difficult mud and steep embankments.

At the table

Daily habits of coffee and brandy

Coffee was an essential, obligatory daily beverage, typically prepared the Turkish way in a copper pot (džezva) and often served alongside brandy or fruit preserves (slatko). While wine was consumed by the well-to-do, fruit brandy (rakija) was the more common, cheaper, and widely available drink for ordinary people.

What people wore

Forced Changes to Hairstyle Fashion

Prince Miloš issued a mandate to ban a specific, elaborate hairstyle for women that involved tightly braided hair, as it caused hair loss and made it difficult for women to turn their heads. This order reportedly met with such resistance that the authorities had to use force to implement it.

Music

The popular frula flute

The frula, a traditional wooden recorder, was widely used by peasants and shepherds for entertainment and became a staple for kolo circle dances at festivals and slavas.

Daily life

Simple homes and detached sleeping quarters

Ordinary homes rarely had more than one room, which was heated by an open fire on the floor; people slept in separate, smaller buildings called kleti. In the mountains, houses were often sturdily built with stone foundations and shingle roofs, while those on plains were often poorer huts covered in hay.