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Lucia of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

Darmstadt, 18 Mar 1859 – Dresden, 24 Sep 1903

6 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 18 Mar 1859

    Born in Darmstadt

  2. 21 May 1885

    A daughter is born

  3. 24 Sep 1903

    Dies in Dresden, aged 44

Family

See the tree

Partner

Children · 1

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Darmstadt.

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

The 1850s · Lucia is born in Darmstadt

In Europe1845–1852

The Great Famine in Ireland

Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.

At the table

Alcohol as a Daily Staple

Schnapps, distilled cheaply from potatoes, became a daily staple for the poor alongside sugar-sweetened coffee. Beer was also consumed, and by the later part of the period, the invention of bottled beer with swing stoppers made it more accessible.

What people wore

Protecting Skin from the Sun

Women wore a white, coif-like cap on weekdays to protect their skin from the sun, as being suntanned was not considered fashionable.

Getting around

Limitations of mail-coach travel

Before railways became dominant, mail-coaches reached speeds of 8 to 12.7 km/h, but their daily range was limited to around 100 kilometers due to frequent stops, meals, and border controls.

What it cost

Survival budget for a rural family

In the early 1850s, a rural worker's family of five needed approximately 76 Thalers annually for basic survival. A typical male day laborer could earn about 8 Mariengroschen per day during peak harvest months.

Music

Music and dance at public festivals

Popular festivities like shooting festivals and local fairs were central to social life, while the educated classes attended balls, concerts, and theater performances.

Daily life

Compulsory schooling and kindergarten costs

Children were required to attend school from ages six to fourteen, often carrying books in long tin satchels. In model kindergartens, families could pay fees between sixpence and three shillings a month for care and meals.