Leopold, Duke of Lorraine

Getting around

Dangers of traveling by day

Travelers mostly journeyed during the day because roads were rough, uneven, and prone to dangers like highwaymen and accidents, making nighttime travel unsafe.

Daily life

Life in the smoke kitchen

Cooking happened in smoke kitchens where food was prepared over open fires, often sharing space with poultry kept inside at night.

What people wore

Feast day finery and marital status attire

On feast days, rural people wore finer versions of their clothing, such as a blouse made of fine linen (harbene Pfoad) compared to the coarse linen (rupferne Pfoad) worn for daily tasks. Men sometimes distinguished their marital status through their hats, wearing green hats if unmarried and black hats after marriage.

Music

Common rural dance instruments

In the seventeenth-century countryside, ordinary people primarily used bagpipes and hurdy-gurdies for dance music, before the violin became established as a popular instrument later on.

At the table

Grain Porridges and Legumes Dominated Daily Meals

Most ordinary families relied heavily on a grain-based diet, frequently eating porridges made from oats, barley, or millet, and consuming legumes like peas, beans, and lentils. Meat was rarely eaten, and when served, it was often boiled in soup to make the most of the ingredients.