Queen Charlotte of Württemberg

Getting around

Easier travel across borders

Administrative barriers to travel were significantly reduced when a decree in 1857 abolished the requirement for passports for travel within the Austrian monarchy. By 1865, passport controls were also removed at the external borders of the monarchy.

At the table

Daily meals of working-class families

Ordinary working-class families frequently relied on basic soups, bread, potatoes, and legumes like lentils or peas, with meat being a rare treat for Sunday dinners. Breakfast often consisted of bread and coffee, while evening meals were simple, sometimes just bread with butter, cheese, or beer.

What people wore

Flax drying costs

To dry flax, farmers paid a fee of 20 kreuzers to a local flax worker for scaffold space and provided him with daily food.

Music

Popularity of Kde domov muj

The song Kde domov muj was commonly performed at national festivals, banner consecrations, and political demonstrations. It was even sung in a fantastic underworld setting inside caverns during a banner dedication ceremony in 1864.

Daily life

Homemade lighting and fire safety precautions

In the 19th century, the cheapest source of light was a simple wooden piece known as a torchlight, which burned for about ten minutes and had to be constantly replaced. To prevent fire in wooden homes, children kept the light over a vessel filled with water so the burning end would drop safely into it.