Eleanor de Lorraine

What people wore

Weather-protecting Loden cloak with personal initials

For protection against the weather, rural people used a Wetterfleck, a rectangular Loden wool garment with a head opening, which reached the belt in front and the back of the knees in the back. These were often customized with red or green fabric hearts and the owner's initials on the chest.

Daily life

The heart of the home: The Stube

The Stube was a central, heated room in homes, where children often sat on a bench over the stove to stay warm while others worked.

Work

Distance covered by daily messengers

Messengers traveling on foot were capable of walking between 25 and 40 kilometers a day, while dedicated runners could cover over 60 kilometers.

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

Carriage travel times

Travel was slow and difficult; for example, a journey by carriage between St. Pölten and Melk, a distance of 30 kilometers, took 5 to 7 hours under good weather conditions.

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.