Maria Anna of Austria

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

Creative peasant food substitutions

Peasant families practiced creative food substitutions, using names like false meat soup or false almond cake to describe dishes made from simpler, available ingredients.

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.

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.

Getting around

Dangers of traveling by day

Travelers mostly journeyed during the day because roads were rough, uneven, and prone to dangers like highwaymen and accidents, making nighttime travel unsafe.

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.