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Olga Nikolaevna of Russia

Saint Petersburg, 11 Sep 1822 – Friedrichshafen, 1892

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 11 Sep 1822

    Born in Saint Petersburg

  2. 1892

    Dies in Friedrichshafen

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

During her lifetime

She lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Saint Petersburg.

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

The 1820s · Olga is born in Saint Petersburg

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.

At the table

Meat as a rare luxury

Meat was a luxury for many families, typically consumed only on major religious holidays like Christmas and Easter.

What people wore

Protective patches in peasant shirts

Peasant women stitched scarlet calico patches into the armpits of their linen shirts, serving as both decoration and an amulet to protect the body from unclean forces.

Getting around

Vast network of postal relay stations

The postal system maintained approximately 3,950 relay stations across the empire, utilizing over 50,000 horses to provide fresh teams for travelers and mail couriers.

What it cost

Marriage requirements and net worth

To obtain permission to marry, a couple often needed to prove a minimum net worth of 100 to 200 guilders.

Music

Improvised percussion for fast folk dances

During fast-paced dances known as pliaska, performers often used improvised percussion instruments, including wooden spoons, metal pots, or even farm scythes to keep the rhythm.

Daily life

Children's home education

Many merchant and commoner children were educated at home by local sextons or clerks, with the Psalter and Book of Hours serving as their primary textbooks. Formal schooling remained rare for these groups, as even many noble children relied on varied levels of home instruction.