Ferdinand Wenzel von Habsburg

What people wore

Winter undergarments and petticoats

Women did not wear underpants, relying instead on multiple petticoats to stay warm during winter. Men wore long underpants in the winter that were tied at the belly and ankles.

Daily life

Winter schooling for children

Regular schooling for children was typically only possible during the winter months when agricultural work was less demanding. Often, there was only one classroom with a single teacher who instructed all the children regardless of their different ages.

Work

Cottage industry as supplemental income

Rural women earned extra money by spinning cotton or weaving in a cottage industry system, often directed by traders who provided raw materials. In the Waldviertel region alone, up to 30,000 people were engaged in this type of outwork to supplement their income.

Music

Music by social status in Moravia

In 17th-century Moravia, secular music was divided by social status: the nobility enjoyed entertainment sonatas and dances, while citizens listened to town pipers known as Thurner.

At the table

Creative Substitutes in Rural Cooking

Facing shortages, rural families practiced creative cooking by mimicking expensive dishes, using names like false almond cake or false meat soup to describe their humble substitutes.

Getting around

Traveling on foot in the Habsburg Monarchy

Most ordinary people in the Habsburg lands traveled on foot, covering approximately 20 to 35 kilometers per day depending on the terrain.

What it cost

Price of bread in Vienna

Between 1650 and 1674, the price of bread in Vienna ranged from 1.27 to 2.82 Kreuzer per kilogram.