Skip to content
VitrineVitrine

Albert I of Saxony

Dresden, 23 Apr 1828 – Szczodre, Wrocław County, 19 Jun 1902

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 23 Apr 1828

    Born in Dresden

  2. 19 Jun 1902

    Dies in Szczodre, Wrocław County, aged 74

During his lifetime

He lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Dresden.

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

The 1820s · Albert I is born in Dresden

In the news1817–1830

Massive road network expansion by 1830

Between 1817 and 1830, over 1,000 kilometers of new paved roads were built, and regular postal services were established between major cities.

Getting around

High cost of travel

A short stagecoach trip from Berlin to Magdeburg cost four Taler, which was nearly the entire monthly wage of a village schoolteacher.

Around the world1825–1830

The first passenger railway

In England a steam locomotive pulled the first public train in 1825; within decades railways crossed every continent.

Daily life

Seasonal schooling and untrained teachers

Compulsory primary schooling existed, but children often only attended school in winter because they were needed for farm work and animal herding the rest of the year. Teachers were often untrained individuals, such as former soldiers or weavers, who were appointed by local churches.

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.

Music

Singing at church and parish gatherings

For many people in the Prussian lands, Sunday church service was a weekly routine, and singing could also happen at church occasions. Beyond worship, people spent leisure time with games like bowling and cards, and with dancing at local fairs and shooting festivals.

At the table

The rise of potato schnapps

Potato-based schnapps became a widespread and essential daily pleasure for the poor, as it was much cheaper to produce than grain-based spirits. Some observers noted that after market days, many farmers returned home in a state of intoxication.