In the news1834
Zollverein customs union founded in 1834
The Zollverein was founded to eliminate customs duties between German states, fostering economic integration under Prussian leadership.
Langenburg, 20 Jul 1835 – Dresden, 25 Jan 1900
7 facts3 sources
20 Jul 1835
Born in Langenburg
1858–1866
3 children are born
25 Jan 1900
Dies in Dresden, aged 64
She lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Langenburg.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1834
The Zollverein was founded to eliminate customs duties between German states, fostering economic integration under Prussian leadership.
Getting around
Difficult and slow travel by stagecoach
Traveling by stagecoach in Prussia was often grueling and uncomfortable due to poorly maintained, unpaved roads and cramped, unsprung carriages. A journey from Berlin to Königsberg, spanning 565 kilometers, typically took ten to eleven days by post coach.
At the table
Daily wheat cake despite poverty
In some villages, even the poorest people ate wheat cake daily, fresh from the oven, which was criticized by doctors for supposedly damaging their digestion.
Around the world · 1839Photography is born. The daguerreotype was presented in Paris: for the first time a face or a street could be kept exactly as it looked.
What people wore
Saving fabric with the Magsachte patch
Women saved money on expensive fabric by sewing a hidden patch of coarser linen, called a Magsachte, onto their dresses where it would be covered by an apron.
Music
Daily castle tower music in Königsberg
City tower musicians performed chorales daily from Königsberg's castle tower, such as 'Ich weiß mein Gott, daß all mein Tun' at 11 am and 'Nun ruhen alle Wälder' at 9 pm.
Daily life
Homes heated by smoky, open hearths
Peasant homes often lacked chimneys, relying on open hearths that provided both light and heat while filling the living space with smoke. Small bundles of green pine brush, known as Kulelkes, were commonly used as fuel for these fires.