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Princess Cecilie of Baden

Karlsruhe, 20 Sep 1839 – Kharkiv, 12 Apr 1891

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 20 Sep 1839

    Born in Karlsruhe

  2. 1859–1875

    7 children are born

  3. 12 Apr 1891

    Dies in Kharkiv, aged 51

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 7

During her lifetime

She lived through 7 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Karlsruhe.

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

The 1830s · Princess is born in Karlsruhe

In the news1834

Zollverein customs union founded in 1834

The Zollverein was founded to eliminate customs duties between German states, fostering economic integration under Prussian leadership.

Getting around

Difficult and slow travel by stagecoach

Traveling by stagecoach in Prussia was often grueling and uncomfortable due to poorly maintained, unpaved roads and cramped, unsprung carriages. A journey from Berlin to Königsberg, spanning 565 kilometers, typically took ten to eleven days by post coach.

Around the world1832

Cholera spreads around the world

A cholera pandemic from India reached Europe and the Americas; cities learned the hard way about clean water and sewers.

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.

What people wore

Head-carried baskets with embroidered rings

Deliverers carried their goods in round white baskets called Mange on their heads, supported by embroidered cloth rings that served as both cushions and decorative accessories.

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.

At the table

Daily wheat cake despite poverty

In some villages, even the poorest people ate wheat cake daily, fresh from the oven, which was criticized by doctors for supposedly damaging their digestion.