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Princess Maria Augusta of Saxony

Dresden, 22 Jan 1827 – Dresden, 8 Oct 1857

8 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 22 Jan 1827

    Born in Dresden

  2. 8 Oct 1857

    Dies in Dresden, aged 30

Family

See the tree

Parents

During her lifetime

She lived through 4 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Dresden.

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

The 1820s · Princess is born in Dresden

Around the world1825–1830

The first passenger railway

In England a steam locomotive pulled the first public train in 1825; within decades railways crossed every continent.

At the table

Potato schnapps among common men

Potato schnapps was a popular and widespread drink among common men in East Prussia, so much so that some would sell their last chicken to afford it.

What people wore

Resourceful Dressmaking and Festive Attire

Women sometimes used a fabric insert called a Magsachte, meaning that may do it slowly, to cover the hidden parts of their dresses and save on expensive material. For special occasions, they wore black cashmere or silk dresses with white ruffles at the neck that were waved using a hot iron.

Getting around

High cost of travel

A short stagecoach trip from Berlin to Magdeburg cost four Taler, which was nearly the entire monthly wage of a village schoolteacher.

What it cost

Marriage requirements and net worth

To obtain permission to marry, a couple often needed to prove a minimum net worth of 100 to 200 guilders.

Music

Daily castle tower music in Königsberg

City tower musicians performed chorales daily from Königsberg's castle tower, such as 'Ich weiß mein Gott, daß all mein Tun' at 11 am and 'Nun ruhen alle Wälder' at 9 pm.

Daily life

Child labor and rudimentary schooling conditions

Children in rural areas were often tasked with labor, such as preparing and binding daily bundles of fuel for the household fire, a chore that frequently left their hands bleeding. Schooling was frequently held in the teacher's house, where the teacher was often a poorly paid local craftsman.