Maria Kunigunde of Saxony

What people wore

Elaborate Festive Headgear

During festive occasions, women in regions like Chełmskie wore elaborate headpieces constructed from vinca garlands, colorful wool weavings, and ribbons to signify status and abundance. This ritualized headwear was carefully removed after church services and stored for future use.

Getting around

Splendid processions of the magnates

Magnates displayed their immense wealth by traveling in elaborate caravans that included dozens of wagons, hundreds of horses, and sometimes exotic animals like camels and pack mules. These processions were grand spectacles that required hundreds of attendants to manage, protect, and serve the noble traveler.

At the table

The Famous Warka Beer

Beer from Warka was so highly regarded that even Pope Clement VIII reportedly requested it on his deathbed.

Music

Music for peasants and festivals

Peasants and local gentry danced at inn parties and harvest festivals to the sound of instruments like bagpipes, often performing at celebrations following the completion of agricultural work.

Daily life

Peasant homes and cooking smoke

Peasant homes were often smoky huts where smoke escaped through roof holes, though some had chimneys to heat and cook simultaneously. Noble homes separated kitchens from living areas to avoid smoke and heat.

What it cost

Treasurer salary at a noble court

Around 1740, the salary for a treasurer in a noble court was 500 tynfs per year, along with clothing and food for their servant and fodder for two horses.