Zofia Ostrogska

What people wore

Women's Wardrobe Value

Women's clothing was often twice as expensive as men's, with a set including a shirt, skirt, and corset reaching a value of 52 gold coins.

Daily life

Daily water access and wells

Accessing water was physically demanding, often requiring the use of wells with iron-fitted buckets and hooks, as river or moat water was considered unsuitable for drinking.

Work

Peasant economic life and livestock holdings

Peasant farmers were active economic participants who managed diverse livestock; a typical one-hide holding averaged 2 horses, 8 head of cattle, 5 sheep, and 3 goats. They also engaged in a lively land market where transactions for purchasing mills or inns were often paid in installments over periods as long as twenty years.

Music

Festive Dances and Carnival Celebrations

During festivals like Carnival, musicians played for dance parties that could last for several days, involving noblemen and commoners alike. Dances like the hajduk, a lively two-part dance, and goniony, a chase-like play-dance, were popular among the gentry.

At the table

Market purchases for household supply

In 1590, a purchase recorded at Ivenets shows a peasant household acquiring beef and salt at a market to supplement their own food production.

Getting around

Daily travel distances for commoners

Travelers on foot or in wagons covered approximately 20 to 30 kilometers per day, while those on horseback could manage 30 to 40 kilometers.

What it cost

Wages and Purchasing Power in Kraków

An unskilled day laborer typically earned about 1.5 to 2 groschen per day. With this daily wage, one could buy about 7 kilograms of rye, 4.5 kilograms of wheat, or approximately 20 liters of beer.