Marie Therese Prinzessin von und zu Liechtenstein

Music

Dominant folk dances in rural Wechsel

In the Wechsel region, the Ländler/Steirer dance was the most common type until World War I, often performed at farmers' festivities or local inns. Music was played on diverse instruments ranging from violins and clarinets to military-style wind instruments.

Daily life

Housing for the poor in Vienna

In 1909, around 66,000 people in Vienna were bed-renters who did not have their own home and paid to use a bed for only a few hours. Many tenement buildings lacked running water, toilets, and electricity, requiring residents to collect water from a corridor tap called a Bassena.

What it cost

The molhadura contract tradition

In rural areas, workers were sometimes hired through a traditional practice called the molhadura, where a capataz paid for a glass of brandy to seal a weekly employment contract. This custom was compared to a human meat auction due to the lack of regulation.

What people wore

Peasant men's holiday shirt-sleeves

On feast days, peasant men in rural Austria-Hungary traditionally wore white shirt-sleeves as an essential and prideful part of their indoor holiday dress.

Getting around

Oxen rescue services for stuck vehicles

Due to poorly maintained roads, peasants in some areas made money by using teams of oxen to rescue vehicles that became stuck in deep ruts and holes.

At the table

Ideal middle-class meals and coffee house culture

Before the war, the ideal middle-class meal consisted of a three-course menu featuring soup, a main dish of meat with side dishes, and dessert. Intellectuals frequented coffee houses around 1900 to enjoy coffee drinks like the Melange.