Marie Gräfin Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau

What people wore

Low daily wages for field work

Working women often received only 24 kreutzers for a full day of field work, while young boys received 12 kreutzers for their help.

Getting around

Faster Journeys by Rail

Railway network improvements significantly reduced travel times, with a journey from Czech lands to the Adriatic Sea taking only 15 hours by the first decade of the 20th century. By 1918, it took approximately 8 hours to travel by train from Prague to the eastern city of Ostrava.

At the table

Working-class diets relied on meatless staples

Ordinary working-class families often survived on a daily diet of coffee substitute made from chicory or grain, eaten with bread, and thick meatless soups. Meat was a rarity, typically reserved for Sundays, while vegetables like potatoes, legumes, and cabbage formed the daily base.

Music

Brass Bands and Enthusiastic Prague Audiences

Brass bands were central to Prague's cultural life, with military and civilian ensembles performing dozens of times each week in summer at parks and garden pubs. These performances were so popular that audiences often demanded encores, such as the march Hey, Gretel, which was once repeated three times due to overwhelming applause.

Daily life

Children's work and education

Children in families engaged in domestic production were often required to work from a very young age, which frequently resulted in the neglect of their school attendance. In the Czech districts, compulsory education lasted for eight years, starting at age six.

What it cost

Low agricultural wages for families

Some women working in agriculture earned only 24 kreutzers per day for labor lasting from sunrise to sunset, while young boys received 12 kreutzers.