Marie Margarete von Habsburg

What people wore

Durable leather garments for men

Ordinary men in this period wore durable leather clothing, such as the Pelzrock, which was made of sheepskin worn with the fur inside and featured decorative embroidery. Peasant men also frequently wore waistcoats made of leather, known as Joppen, which were valued for their ability to protect against wind and rain.

Daily life

Life in the smoke kitchen

Cooking happened in smoke kitchens where food was prepared over open fires, often sharing space with poultry kept inside at night.

Work

Typical daily working routine

The daily routine for the majority of the population typically meant rising early, working in workshops or fields until dark, and then sleeping. Meals were often eaten in between these periods of labor.

Music

Common rural dance instruments

In the seventeenth-century countryside, ordinary people primarily used bagpipes and hurdy-gurdies for dance music, before the violin became established as a popular instrument later on.

At the table

Coffee substitute for 1 kreuzer

For 1 kreuzer, working-class people could buy a bowl of roasted barley drink sweetened with syrup, which served as an affordable substitute for expensive coffee.

Getting around

Travel on foot for commoners

Ordinary people generally traveled on foot, covering 20 to 35 kilometers per day, as horse-drawn transport like coaches was expensive and largely reserved for the wealthy or official use.

What it cost

Daily wages for laborers

In the late 17th century, day laborers earned about 6 kreuzer for women and up to 18 kreuzer for some skilled laborers like carpenters.