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Count Ferdinand von Harrach

Vienna, 17 Mar 1763 – Dresden, 5 Dec 1841

5 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

  • Born17 Mar 1763, Viennanot verified1 source
  • Died5 Dec 1841, Dresdennot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 17 Mar 1763

    Born in Vienna

  2. 30 Aug 1800

    A daughter is born

  3. 5 Dec 1841

    Dies in Dresden, aged 78

During his lifetime

He lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Vienna.

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

The 1760s · Count is born in Vienna

In the news1756–1763

Seven Years' War casualties and destruction

During the Seven Years' War, some 160,000 Prussian soldiers died in battle or from disease, devastating the population.

What people wore

Traditional dress of Austrian peasants

Upper Austrian peasants commonly wore dark-gray jackets, red waistcoats with spherical metal buttons, and black leather breeches. They completed the outfit with tight buskins and broad-brimmed, shallow-crowned round hats.

Getting around

Coach vs. rail time (Vienna–Graz)

When rail travel was available, a journey from Vienna to Graz took nine hours, while a post coach took twenty-nine hours on the same route.

Watt’s steam engine. James Watt’s much more efficient steam engine, patented in 1769, powered the mills and mines of the Industrial Revolution.Around the world · 1769–1776

Watt’s steam engine. James Watt’s much more efficient steam engine, patented in 1769, powered the mills and mines of the Industrial Revolution.

Nicolás Pérez · CC BY-SA 3.0

In the news1766

State monopolies on consumer goods introduced

A new tax and excise ordinance in 1766 created state monopolies on items including tobacco, coffee, and porcelain.

Music

The Ländler and Early Viennese Waltz

Around 1750, the Ländler, also known as the Schleifer, served as a popular country dance for couples and provided the foundation for the later Viennese waltz.

Daily life

Shared urban living in cramped quarters

For ordinary residents, homes were often cramped rented rooms in multi-story buildings where daily tasks like cooking, sleeping, and working were all performed in the same limited space. Families relied on neighborhood wells and fountains for water and had to manage heating through tiled stoves that required constant attention.