Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia

At the table

Potatoes as the staple food

Ordinary rural families typically ate three meals a day, relying heavily on potatoes, buckwheat porridge, or milk with bread. Potatoes were so central to the diet that they were often eaten boiled in their jackets, sometimes without salt.

What people wore

Head-carried baskets with embroidered rings

Deliverers carried their goods in round white baskets called Mange on their heads, supported by embroidered cloth rings that served as both cushions and decorative accessories.

Getting around

High cost of travel

A short stagecoach trip from Berlin to Magdeburg cost four Taler, which was nearly the entire monthly wage of a village schoolteacher.

What it cost

Marriage requirements and net worth

To obtain permission to marry, a couple often needed to prove a minimum net worth of 100 to 200 guilders.

Music

The noisy brummtopf folk instrument

The brummtopf was a peculiar noise-making instrument used by groups of young people during winter festivities; it was made of a small wooden barrel covered with calfskin and played by rubbing horsehair strands inserted into the skin with wet hands.

Daily life

Seasonal schooling and untrained teachers

Compulsory primary schooling existed, but children often only attended school in winter because they were needed for farm work and animal herding the rest of the year. Teachers were often untrained individuals, such as former soldiers or weavers, who were appointed by local churches.