In the news1569–1574
Famine and price crisis of 1569-1574
Between 1569 and 1574, a severe famine and price crisis struck the region, causing mass death among the poorest residents, while wealthy nobles remained largely unaffected. During 1573 and 1574, a 2.2-kilogram loaf of rye bread cost an unskilled worker in Krakow between 32% and 40% of their daily wage.
At the table
Beer as a daily staple
Beer was the most common everyday drink, often served as soup with breadcrumbs or given to children and pregnant women for strength.
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.
Getting around
Daily travel speed for commoners
In the second half of the 16th century, the average speed for travelers on foot or in carts laden with goods was about 25–30 km per day.
What it cost
Bread Prices and Scarcity
During times of famine, such as in the 1570s, bread was sometimes made with non-traditional ingredients like acorns, bran, or even tree bark. A pound of rye bread in Kraków cost around 0.2 groschen in the early 1570s.
Music
Social rules in the stryjanka dance
In the dance known as stryjanka, the violinist led the household members in the first part, while respectable people refrained from dancing the second, more lively part to observe others instead.
Daily life
Peasant home layouts and heating
Most peasant families lived in modest wooden houses featuring a stove, though some people in the Samogitia region used a numas, a building type with a central open fireplace.