Katarzyna Ostrogska

At the table

Beer consumed daily as a safer alternative

People often drank beer daily, sometimes consuming it up to four times a day alongside their meals, because drinking plain, untreated water was considered dangerous.

What people wore

Brightly colored urban clothing

Townspeople wore bright clothing in colors such as blue, green, and red, often combining locally produced fabrics with imported ones like London wool cloth.

Getting around

Carriage window construction

Because glass was rare, carriages often had windows covered with grease-soaked paper to allow light into the interior during winter.

Work

Working Day Duration and Breaks

Peasants worked from sunrise to sunset, with three scheduled rest breaks totaling three hours for those using draught animals, and three half-hour breaks for others.

Music

Instruments and Professional Musicians

Common musical instruments used in daily life included the gudok (a bowed instrument), gusli (a string instrument), sopilka (a flute), bubon (tambourine), and duda (bagpipe). In cities, musicians sometimes organized into professional guilds to perform at weddings, festivals, and funerals.

Daily life

Lack of schooling for peasants

Most peasant children remained illiterate, as schooling was rare and parents preferred children to assist with agricultural work.