Ernst Johann Wagner

Getting around

Faster rail travel between major cities

By 1900, the rail journey between Vienna and Budapest had been reduced to four and a half hours, down from approximately six hours when the line first opened.

At the table

Meat was eaten only on weekends

Meat was a luxury, with working families typically eating it only twice a week, usually on Saturdays and Sundays.

What people wore

Expensive festive wardrobes for women

Wealthy women in the Zvolen region kept up to 50 caps in their wardrobe, each costing 4 koruna, while a Trnava woman's entire outfit for a holiday could cost over 500 koruna.

Music

Brass and string music in Slovak villages

In Western Slovakia, brass bands became popular alongside traditional string ensembles from the 1870s onwards. Musicians played at diverse occasions, including weddings, christenings, village fairs, and holiday celebrations like Christmas and Shrovetide.

Daily life

Lighting and water collection methods

Homes were lit by kerosene lamps, but because oil was expensive, people often relied on the bright flame of burning spruce wood in the open hearth for light. Water was fetched from wells in buckets called pitli, as villagers were unaccustomed to carrying loads on their heads.