Zofia Ostrogska

What people wore

Cost of Peasant Clothing

A full set of peasant clothing, including a shirt, trousers, a woollen outer garment, a sheepskin coat, and boots, was valued at 26.5 Polish gold coins.

Daily life

Daily water access and wells

Accessing water was physically demanding, often requiring the use of wells with iron-fitted buckets and hooks, as river or moat water was considered unsuitable for drinking.

Work

Peasant economic life and livestock holdings

Peasant farmers were active economic participants who managed diverse livestock; a typical one-hide holding averaged 2 horses, 8 head of cattle, 5 sheep, and 3 goats. They also engaged in a lively land market where transactions for purchasing mills or inns were often paid in installments over periods as long as twenty years.

Music

Instruments and Liturgical Singing

Bagpipes (duda), violins (skrypka), and various flutes and drums were common instruments played at inns and social gatherings. In church, Jesuit students regularly performed specific liturgical songs like Iam lucis orto sidere to open their classes.

At the table

Everyday drinks and home brewing

Beer was a primary everyday beverage, often brewed within the household using large tubs and cauldrons, while mead was also a common drink.

Getting around

Daily travel distances for commoners

Travelers on foot or in wagons covered approximately 20 to 30 kilometers per day, while those on horseback could manage 30 to 40 kilometers.

What it cost

Bread Prices and Scarcity

During times of famine, such as in the 1570s, bread was sometimes made with non-traditional ingredients like acorns, bran, or even tree bark. A pound of rye bread in Kraków cost around 0.2 groschen in the early 1570s.