Countess Gabriele of Waldstein-Wartenberg

At the table

Widespread food fraud in the 19th century

Families often struggled with food fraud, such as milk being diluted with soap or chalk, and paprika sometimes being mixed with brick dust.

What people wore

The pride of layered petticoats

In the early nineteenth century, women's pride was displayed through the sheer volume of their petticoats, with some older peasant women wearing as many as ten at once to create a wide, wheel-like silhouette.

Getting around

Horse-drawn railway cut travel time significantly

The 129-kilometer horse-drawn railway between České Budějovice and Linz reduced travel time to 14 hours, replacing a three-day journey. It featured Europe's first railway restaurant at the Kerschbaum station, where trains stopped for lunch.

What it cost

Journeyman Weaver Wages

In the mid-19th century, a journeyman weaver typically earned about 1 silver groschen or 20 kreuzer per day for manual work. For piece-work, they might earn around 8 groschen per piece plus meals, totaling roughly 1 thaler per week.

Music

Herdsmen's horns played during church services

In church, liturgical works known as Pastorellas featured parts for a rustic herdsman's horn to evoke scenes of the shepherds at the birth of Christ.

Daily life

Sleeping arrangements in the family home

Large families often slept together in the kitchen on benches or on top of the large oven used for heating and baking. Benches were cleverly designed with backs that tipped forward to prevent children from falling while they slept.