In the news1575
Smallpox and measles epidemic (1575)
A widespread outbreak of smallpox and measles occurred in Holstein in 1575, severely impacting the lives of local families.
1572 – Guémar, 25 Aug 1608
7 facts1 source
1572
Born
12 Feb 1598
A son is born
25 Aug 1608
Dies in Guémar
She lived through 4 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1575
A widespread outbreak of smallpox and measles occurred in Holstein in 1575, severely impacting the lives of local families.
Getting around
Fast river travel downstream
Travelers could use rivers to move faster, sometimes reaching up to 150 kilometers in 24 hours when traveling downstream.
In the news1572
The collapse of the major merchant and banking house Loitz in Stettin in 1572 caused widespread economic turmoil throughout the region of Pomerania.
Daily life
Cooking with embers and kettles
Kitchens often featured a large metal kettle for boiling, while smaller quantities were baked in bowls placed on a grid and covered with glowing embers.
What people wore
Class-based clothing regulations and currency limits
Strict regulations controlled social class appearance; for example, commoners were forbidden from wearing gold, silver, pearls, or silk. A wife of a commoner could wear a simple gold ring worth no more than five or six guilders, without gemstones.
Music
Town pipers performed music from towers
Civic musicians known as Stadtpfeifer regularly performed music from church towers and town hall balconies, often using loud brass and wind instruments like the cornett, sackbut, and shawm.
At the table
Rare Festive Pastries
For ordinary families, sweet pastries fried in fat, known as Nonnenfürzle, were rare festive delicacies served on special occasions like church festivals. They were made from choux pastry and, according to local tradition, were named for the hissing sound they made as steam escaped in the hot fat.