Archduchess Helena of Austria-Tuscany

What people wore

Peasant men's holiday shirt-sleeves

On feast days, peasant men in rural Austria-Hungary traditionally wore white shirt-sleeves as an essential and prideful part of their indoor holiday dress.

Getting around

Railways dominated long-distance travel by 1914

By 1914, Germany had one of the world's densest railway networks, which by then far outperformed road transport in both speed and cost for long-distance travel. Express trains reached speeds of 90 to 100 kilometers per hour, allowing travel from Berlin to Munich in a significantly reduced time compared to previous eras.

At the table

Ideal middle-class meals and coffee house culture

Before the war, the ideal middle-class meal consisted of a three-course menu featuring soup, a main dish of meat with side dishes, and dessert. Intellectuals frequented coffee houses around 1900 to enjoy coffee drinks like the Melange.

Music

Instruments and foot-tapping dance customs

In the Ziller Valley, traditional wedding music was performed by ensembles consisting of two fiddles, a diatonic accordion, a Tyrolean folk harp, and a string bass. Dancers at these events frequently tapped their toes in time with the music, using specific patterns for two-four and three-four time signatures.

Daily life

Housing for the poor in Vienna

In 1909, around 66,000 people in Vienna were bed-renters who did not have their own home and paid to use a bed for only a few hours. Many tenement buildings lacked running water, toilets, and electricity, requiring residents to collect water from a corridor tap called a Bassena.

What it cost

Worker wages and daily food prices

Around 1900, the average monthly wage for a worker was 62.40 Mark, while items like one kilogram of pork cost 1.50 Mark and rye bread cost 0.23 Mark.