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Archduchess Gisela of Austria

Laxenburg, 12 Jul 1856 – Munich, 1932

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 12 Jul 1856

    Born in Laxenburg

  2. 28 Apr 1875

    A daughter is born

  3. 1932

    Dies in Munich

Family

See the tree

Parents

Children · 1

During her lifetime

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

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

The 1850s · Archduchess is born in Laxenburg

In the news1854

First mountain railway opens in 1854

In 1854, the first mountain railway in the world was opened, connecting Vienna to the Semmering pass.

What people wore

Swaddling practices and constant headwear use

Infants were placed in swaddling cushions for several months to ensure they grew straight, and male toddlers were dressed in dresses just like girls. Adults of both genders kept their headwear on all day, even while eating meals at the table.

Daily life

Improved Cooking with the Sparherd Stove

From the mid-19th century, the introduction of the masonry "Sparherd" stove with a chimney, water container, and oven allowed for expanded cooking possibilities. Before this, cooking was simpler, and many households lacked these modern improvements.

In the news1858

New silver florin introduced in 1858

In 1858, a new silver florin became the official currency in Austria, replacing the previous Convention currency.

Music

Popular instruments of the mid-19th century

During the 1850s, the zither became highly popular as a folk-music counterpart to the bourgeois piano. By 1860, the introduction of hand-held squeeze-box instruments like the accordion and harmonica allowed a single person to provide full orchestral accompaniment for entertainment.

In Europe1845–1852

The Great Famine in Ireland

Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.

Getting around

Railway revolution reduced travel times drastically

For a journey between Vienna and Klagenfurt, passengers relied on slow stagecoaches until the railway expanded; travel time dropped from five days by coach to ten or twelve hours by train after 1864.