Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor

Leopold II was the penultimate Holy Roman Emperor, as well as King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria from 1790 to 1792, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790 as Leopold I. He was a son of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I, and the brother of Queen Marie Antoinette of France, Queen Maria Carolina, Duchess Maria Amalia of Parma, and Emperor Joseph II.

Feast day versus daily wear

For feast days, people wore finer clothing, such as a blouse made of fine linen, whereas daily work clothes were made of coarse linen.

Personal cleanliness through body linen

In 18th-century Vienna, ordinary men typically owned between six and ten shirts, while women owned between seven and eleven shifts, which were essential for maintaining hygiene and a respectable appearance.

Trumpets and timpani dominated Viennese ceremonies

During the 1740s, trumpets and timpani were the most frequently documented instruments in Vienna, performing at royal festivals, university ceremonies, and significant church events.

Masquerade balls were a social highlight

During the carnival season, masquerade balls were highly popular, with noble guests often wearing costumes of lower social orders, such as cooks, servants, or exotic figures.

Slow boat transport on the Inn River

In 1745, a boat trip on the Inn River between Kufstein and Hall took eight days, requiring 50 to 60 horses for towing.

Travel times by carriage in the 1700s

In the 18th century, a 30-kilometer trip between St. Pölten and Melk took 5 to 7 hours, while a 115-kilometer journey to St. Florian took 20 to 28 hours.

Separate kitchens and private livestock in households

Wealthy merchant households like the Spänglers in Salzburg maintained separate "common" and "good" kitchens to distinguish between daily cooking and the storage of expensive, prestigious tableware. They even kept chickens in their own courtyard to supplement food supplies bought at the city markets.

Crowded homes and shared urban infrastructure

Most residents lived in rented rooms or shared apartments where cooking, sewing, child care, and sleeping often occurred in the same few rooms. Homes relied on tiled stoves for heat and fuel, and daily movement was shaped by access to neighborhood wells and fountains.

Beverages of the ordinary people

While the wealthy enjoyed wine, poorer women in Vienna often drank water mixed with vinegar to cool themselves during hot summers. By the 1730s, beer consumption was rising, and Viennese residents drank about three times as much wine as beer, though beer was increasingly becoming a staple drink.

Meager diet of the common people

The vast majority of the population ate very meagerly, relying on dishes made from legumes like peas, beans, and lentils, as well as porridges made from millet, oats, or barley. Meat was only rarely served to the common person.

Vienna wages and meat prices 1749

By 1749, the daily wage for a worker in Vienna remained 15 Kreuzer, but the price of beef had risen to 8.93 Kreuzer per kilogram.

Food prices in Vienna

In 1740, a kilogram of bread cost 2.61 Kreuzer, while a kilogram of beef cost 9.36 Kreuzer.

Land Measured by Cow-Feeds

In salt mining regions like Aussee, worker families held small plots of land measured in cow-feeds (Kuhfuhren), representing the pasture required for one cow. These plots were essential for families to supplement their meager wages with their own milk and livestock.

Resistance to changing pay cycles

In 1753, salt workers successfully resisted an attempt to switch from weekly to four-weekly wage payments to keep their economy stable.