In the news1844
Weaver uprising in 1844
Handloom weavers in Upper Silesia led a famous protest against their publishers due to harsh competition from mechanized factories.
Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, 8 Dec 1842 – Podolí, 15 Jul 1917
7 facts1 source
8 Dec 1842
Born in Schloss Wilhelmshöhe
15 Jul 1917
Dies in Podolí, aged 74
He lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Schloss Wilhelmshöhe.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1844
Handloom weavers in Upper Silesia led a famous protest against their publishers due to harsh competition from mechanized factories.
What people wore
Festive attire and heated ruffles
For feast days, women wore black cashmere or silk dresses with a white ruffle at the collar that was permanently set into waves using a heated iron.
Daily life
Homes heated by smoky, open hearths
Peasant homes often lacked chimneys, relying on open hearths that provided both light and heat while filling the living space with smoke. Small bundles of green pine brush, known as Kulelkes, were commonly used as fuel for these fires.
In the news1846–1847
A severe potato blight caused a major hunger crisis across Europe, leading to unrest in Prussian markets and bakeries.
Music
Daily castle tower music in Königsberg
City tower musicians performed chorales daily from Königsberg's castle tower, such as 'Ich weiß mein Gott, daß all mein Tun' at 11 am and 'Nun ruhen alle Wälder' at 9 pm.
In Europe1845–1852
Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.
Getting around
Railways revolutionized travel speeds
The emergence of railways in the 1840s revolutionized travel, drastically reducing journey times compared to stagecoaches. For instance, the Cologne-Minden route, which previously took over 60 hours by coach, could be covered in 9 hours by train by 1847.