Alexander Karl Prinz von Thurn und Taxis

At the table

Kitchen tools for open fire cooking

To save time while cooking soups, housewives used hooks with a sawtooth design to quickly adjust the height of pots over the fire. They also used a specialized iron tool called a Cold Hand to remove hot pots because oven mitts were not yet in use.

What people wore

Practical Work Clothes for Women

Working women wore practical, loose-fitting clothing like an apron, headscarf, and cap, with shorter skirts and wide sleeves to allow free arm movement while handling water, fire, or animals.

Getting around

Stagecoach Travel at Walking Speed

In the mid-18th century, the stagecoach was the primary mode of travel for those who could afford it, moving at a walking pace of about 4 to 5 kilometers per hour. A trip from Nuremberg to Leipzig typically took around 70 hours, while the journey from Nuremberg to Regensburg required 20 hours.

What it cost

Meat prices in Lemgo, 1767

In 1767, one pound of beef cost between 2 Groschen and 2 Groschen 2 Pfennig, while a pound of pork cost 2 Groschen 2 Pfennig.

Music

Popular instruments and dances for festivals

In the late 18th century, common people enjoyed dancing to instruments such as the violin, clarinet, horn, bass, hammered dulcimer, and bagpipe, often played by small groups at fairs, weddings, and festivals.

Daily life

Seasonal Schooling Led by Untrained Teachers

Schooling was primarily limited to winter months, as children were needed for farm work and tending livestock during the rest of the year. Many village schoolmasters lacked formal training, often being retired soldiers, weavers, or tinkers.