Maria Sofia of Neuburg

What people wore

Eleven caps for one woman

In Scheessel, a woman possessed about eleven different caps for various occasions, with five reserved exclusively for mourning. These caps were stored in colorful painted hatboxes.

Daily life

Difficult water access and pollution

Rural water access was difficult, often relying on collecting rainwater or hauling water from village wells or ditches. In some towns, polluted water was a risk because waste was simply poured onto streets and entered groundwater.

Music

Musical Cradle Devotions and Festive Processions

During Christmas, Jesuits organized cradle devotions, where a constructed cradle containing a figure of the Christ child was rocked to the sound of music. Music was also used in processions, often involving bells, trumpets, military drums, and even the discharge of muskets and cannons.

At the table

Daily Porridge Habits

Because meat was expensive and rarely eaten, families often relied on a thick, long-cooking grain porridge as their primary warm meal. To stretch the food, they frequently reheated it, resulting in a thick, semi-solid consistency.

Getting around

Travel speeds for foot passengers

Most travelers were foot passengers who could expect to cover about 100 kilometers in a week, accounting for rest days and potential travel obstacles like bad weather or floods.