Claudia Felicitas of Austria

What people wore

Four sets of clothing for rural life

In rural areas, people typically owned four types of clothing: workwear, everyday festive wear, Sunday best, and special attire for high church holidays. The wedding suit often served as the high holiday outfit and was frequently worn by the deceased for their burial.

Daily life

Winter schooling for children

Regular schooling for children was typically only possible during the winter months when agricultural work was less demanding. Often, there was only one classroom with a single teacher who instructed all the children regardless of their different ages.

Work

Cottage industry as supplemental income

Rural women earned extra money by spinning cotton or weaving in a cottage industry system, often directed by traders who provided raw materials. In the Waldviertel region alone, up to 30,000 people were engaged in this type of outwork to supplement their income.

Music

Authorities banned music during crises

Music performances were frequently forbidden by authorities during times of crisis, such as the appearance of a comet in 1681 or during the Turkish wars of 1605.

At the table

Creative Substitutes in Rural Cooking

Facing shortages, rural families practiced creative cooking by mimicking expensive dishes, using names like false almond cake or false meat soup to describe their humble substitutes.

Getting around

Using horses and carriages for long trips

Travelers often used horses, carriages, or carts, and on long journeys they utilized postal stations located about every 25 kilometers to change horses and find lodging.

What it cost

Wages and beef prices in Vienna

In Vienna, the daily wage of a worker was 15 Kreuzer between 1650 and 1665, while the price of beef fluctuated between 5.04 and 7.34 Kreuzer per kilogram.