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Princess Helena of Nassau

Wiesbaden, 12 Aug 1831 – Bad Pyrmont, 27 Oct 1888

7 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born12 Aug 1831, Wiesbadenor 18 Aug 1831Records disagree1 source
  • Died27 Oct 1888, Bad Pyrmontnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 12 Aug 1831

    Born in Wiesbaden

  2. 1854–1873

    7 children are born

  3. 27 Oct 1888

    Dies in Bad Pyrmont, aged 57

Family

See the tree

Partner

Children · 7

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Wiesbaden.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1830s · Princess is born in Wiesbaden

In the news1834

Zollverein customs union founded in 1834

The Zollverein was founded to eliminate customs duties between German states, fostering economic integration under Prussian leadership.

Getting around

Faster express coaches were costly

The introduction of the "Diligence" or express post coach in 1821 allowed for faster travel at speeds of around 10 km/h, making trips of 100 km possible in a single day. However, travel remained expensive, with a short trip from Berlin to Magdeburg costing four talers, nearly a schoolteacher's monthly salary.

At the table

Potato schnapps among common men

Potato schnapps was a popular and widespread drink among common men in East Prussia, so much so that some would sell their last chicken to afford it.

Photography is born. The daguerreotype was presented in Paris: for the first time a face or a street could be kept exactly as it looked.Around the world · 1839

Photography is born. The daguerreotype was presented in Paris: for the first time a face or a street could be kept exactly as it looked.

Unknown · public domain

What people wore

Saving fabric with the Magsachte patch

Women saved money on expensive fabric by sewing a hidden patch of coarser linen, called a Magsachte, onto their dresses where it would be covered by an apron.

Music

Daily castle tower music in Königsberg

City tower musicians performed chorales daily from Königsberg's castle tower, such as 'Ich weiß mein Gott, daß all mein Tun' at 11 am and 'Nun ruhen alle Wälder' at 9 pm.

Daily life

Child labor and rudimentary schooling conditions

Children in rural areas were often tasked with labor, such as preparing and binding daily bundles of fuel for the household fire, a chore that frequently left their hands bleeding. Schooling was frequently held in the teacher's house, where the teacher was often a poorly paid local craftsman.