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Heinrich, 4th Prince of Hanau

Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, 8 Dec 1842 – Podolí, 15 Jul 1917

7 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 8 Dec 1842

    Born in Schloss Wilhelmshöhe

  2. 15 Jul 1917

    Dies in Podolí, aged 74

During his lifetime

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.

The 1840s · Heinrich, is born in Schloss Wilhelmshöhe

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.

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

Hunger crisis of 1846-1847

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

The Great Famine in Ireland

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.