Wilhelm I of Württemberg

What people wore

Daily wardrobe changes for noblewomen

Wealthy Polish noblewomen changed their clothing multiple times a day, following a French-inspired division into morning, home, and outing outfits.

Getting around

The challenge of finding accommodation

Polish inns were notorious for poor conditions, often lacking beds, forcing travelers to sleep on straw and provide their own sheets. Wealthy travelers frequently brought their own equipment or avoided inns entirely by staying with friends, relatives, or in monasteries.

At the table

Commoners' diet: buckwheat and fermented cabbage

For the middle-class diet, buckwheat groats were considered a delicacy and were used to make a type of cake called tatarczuchy. Additionally, peas and vegetables like cabbage, which was fermented in hollowed-out tree trunks, were staples.

Music

The sound and power of church bells

Church bells were the loudest artificial sounds in villages, serving to signal religious services, mark the time of day, and warn communities of fires or approaching troops. People also believed that ringing bells could ward off storms and evil spirits in folk mythology.

Daily life

Childhood Diet and School Meals

Children were often fed a porridge called papinek, made from flour, water, or milk, and sometimes butter, while water and weak beer were common drinks. For students at schools overseen by the Commission of National Education, daily diets were simple, typically consisting of rye bread with butter for breakfast, and soups or porridge for other meals, with meat served only on specific days.

What it cost

Annual income of a craftsman

An average craftsman in Kraków earned 465 Polish złotys per year during the reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski (1764–1795).