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Hedwig zu Stolberg-Wernigerode

Blankenburg, 30 Jan 1572 – Stolberg (Harz), 20 Nov 1634

7 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 30 Jan 1572

    Born in Blankenburg

  2. 20 Jul 1593

    A son is born

  3. 20 Nov 1634

    Dies in Stolberg (Harz), aged 62

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 1

During her lifetime

She lived through 7 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Blankenburg.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1570s · Hedwig is born in Blankenburg

In the news1575

Smallpox and measles epidemic (1575)

A widespread outbreak of smallpox and measles occurred in Holstein in 1575, severely impacting the lives of local families.

Getting around

Fast river travel downstream

Travelers could use rivers to move faster, sometimes reaching up to 150 kilometers in 24 hours when traveling downstream.

In the news1572

Banking house collapse ruins economy (1572)

The collapse of the major merchant and banking house Loitz in Stettin in 1572 caused widespread economic turmoil throughout the region of Pomerania.

Daily life

Regulation of waste and public conduct

Public authorities in the 16th century strictly regulated domestic waste disposal, punishing the act of pouring urine or dirty dishwater onto the streets. Naked swimming was also heavily sanctioned, with eight men in Frankfurt being sentenced to four weeks of prison on bread and water for swimming in the Main river in 1541.

What people wore

The high value of clothing and tailoring

Clothing was highly valuable, often made to measure by tailors, and could be pawned to raise funds quickly. A typical working man's entire wardrobe might be worth only a few shillings to a pound.

Music

Wedding musician pay based on social status

City councils regulated the musicians employed for weddings based on social status, with pay for brass and wind players reaching two guilders, while bagpipers and fiddlers received half a guilder.

At the table

Rare Festive Pastries

For ordinary families, sweet pastries fried in fat, known as Nonnenfürzle, were rare festive delicacies served on special occasions like church festivals. They were made from choux pastry and, according to local tradition, were named for the hissing sound they made as steam escaped in the hot fat.