Prince Ludwig of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary

Getting around

Trains replaced slower horse-drawn coaches

Taking the train from Vienna to Graz significantly improved mobility, taking nine hours by rail compared to twenty-nine hours by stagecoach.

At the table

Survival diet of poor families

Many poor families survived on dry bread and potatoes, often unable to afford enough meat even for basic hunger. Workers sometimes earned no more than 1 Gulden per day to support their large families.

What people wore

Work aprons and reversible sheepskin coats

Men frequently wore a blue apron called a Firta for daily work, while craftsmen wore green aprons; for demanding barn work, they utilized sackcloth aprons and wooden clogs. Additionally, men often wore sheepskin coats that could be reversed, with the wool inside during winter and outside during summer.

Music

Evolution of dance and instrumentation

Dances like the polka, waltz, mazurka, and schottische were increasingly integrated into the repertoire alongside traditional dances, with brass ensembles often replacing older string groups in many performance settings. Although these styles evolved, traditional folk dances remained deeply anchored in daily life and festivals.

Daily life

Shared water taps in Vienna apartment buildings

In urban Vienna, many apartments lacked private water or toilets, requiring residents to fetch water from a shared tap in the corridor called a bassena.