Konstancja Tekla Branicka

Getting around

Common methods of transport

Ordinary people traveled by walking, riding horses, or using simple horse-drawn carts such as the kolasa.

Daily life

Cooking methods and communal eating habits

Cooking took place over a hearth using suspended cauldrons or pots with three legs, with households relying on wood for heat. Food was heavily salted, and meals, which could consist of many courses, were often eaten with hands or wooden spoons from shared bowls.

What people wore

Valuable Noblewoman's Clothing

Seventeenth-century noblewomen's wills show that items like fur-lined coats, velvet dresses, and specific headgear such as caps and wimples were vital assets, sometimes valued higher than silver or jewelry.

Music

Bagpipe music at inns and celebrations

Bagpipes were common instruments for providing dance music at weddings and parties in city and country inns, enjoyed by peasants, the lower bourgeoisie, and the gentry.

At the table

Mandatory alcohol consumption for peasants

Common people were forced by law to buy and consume specific amounts of alcohol, such as vodka or beer, from their local lord. This practice was sometimes described as conditioning them into addiction.