Ernestine Charlotte of Nassau-Hadamar

At the table

Beer as the common drink

Beer was the customary daily drink for all ages, as local water sources were often heavily contaminated.

What people wore

Women's outdoor cape called a huik

When going out in public, women typically wore a cape known as a huik, which covered their heads and hung down their backs to their legs. This garment was functional for warmth and protecting against weather, and it was used by all social classes.

Getting around

Pioneering five-hour canal schedules

The canal service between Brussels and Willebroek was a pioneering public transport system that officially required the journey to be completed in no more than five hours. To handle icy winter conditions, boats were sometimes reinforced with iron and pulled by many horses to act as icebreakers.

What it cost

Daily wages for unskilled labor

In the Ghent region, unskilled laborers earned 20 to 24 groten Vlaams per day during the seventeenth century.

Music

Popular instruments for village dance and fairs

At village fairs and festivals, musicians commonly played instruments such as trumpets, flutes, bagpipes, fifes, and drums to entertain dancing crowds. The combination of a flute and a small drum (tabor) was a classic, inseparable pairing for accompanying rural festivities.

Daily life

Children and adults drank beer for safety

Because water in cities was often polluted and unsafe to drink, people regularly consumed beer instead, even children.