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Jan Dobřenský

1841–1919

Born
28 Mar 1841, Chotěboř
Country of birth
Czechia
Died
14 Jan 1919, Chotěboř
facts
9
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth28 Mar 1841, ChotěbořProbable1 source
  • TitleMember of the Bohemian Diet, 1883–1913Confirmed2 competing claims1 source
  • TitleMember of Abgeordnetenhaus, 1884–1885Confirmed2 competing claims1 source
  • TitleMember of the House of Lords (Austria), 1895Confirmed2 competing claims1 source
  • Death14 Jan 1919, ChotěbořProbable1 source
  • UnionElisabeth Gräfin Kottulinsky Baronin Kottulin und KrzižkowitzConfirmed1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Chotěboř

    Birth, Chotěboř

  2. Child born: Countess Elisabeth Dobržensky de Dobrženicz

    Birth, Chotěboř

  3. Event · Member of the Bohemian Diet

    Event

  4. Event · Member of Abgeordnetenhaus

    Event

  5. Event · Member of the House of Lords (Austria)

    Event

  6. Died · Chotěboř

    Death, Chotěboř

What was it like?

The world around Chotěboř, 1841: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Jan was born the same year as Antonín Dvořák, Giovanni Sgambati, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Known for

Titles held

  • Member of the Bohemian Diet1883–1913
  • Member of Abgeordnetenhaus1884–1885
  • Member of the House of Lords (Austria)1895
Born the same year

  • Antonín Dvořák

    Czech composer (1841–1904)

  • Giovanni Sgambati

    Italian musician (1841–1914)

  • Pierre-Auguste Renoir

    French painter and sculptor (1841–1919)

  • Edward VII

    King of the United Kingdom from 1901 to 1910

  • Georges Clemenceau

    Prime Minister of France, 1906–1909 and 1917–1920 (1841–1929)

  • Gustave Le Bon

    French psychologist (1841-1931)

Fashion

The pride of layered petticoats

In the early nineteenth century, women's pride was displayed through the sheer volume of their petticoats, with some older peasant women wearing as many as ten at once to create a wide, wheel-like silhouette.

Wealthy farmers' coin-studded belts

Wealthy farmers often wore leather belts embroidered with peacock quills and silk, which were uniquely studded with coins on the inside.

Music

The 1830 invention of the polka dance

The polka was invented around 1830 by a Bohemian country girl, with the dance's name derived from the word for half, referencing its signature half-step.

Herdsmen's horns played during church services

In church, liturgical works known as Pastorellas featured parts for a rustic herdsman's horn to evoke scenes of the shepherds at the birth of Christ.

Getting around

Horse-drawn railway cut travel time significantly

The 129-kilometer horse-drawn railway between České Budějovice and Linz reduced travel time to 14 hours, replacing a three-day journey. It featured Europe's first railway restaurant at the Kerschbaum station, where trains stopped for lunch.

Steam trains and strict police regulation

The first steam train between Vienna and Brno covered roughly 130 kilometers in just four and a half hours. Passengers were initially required to obtain police permits before and after their journeys.

Daily life

School attendance reality and seasonal patterns

Although school was legally compulsory for children aged 6 to 12, many village children only attended during the winter months when there was no farm work. By 1830, approximately 90 percent of eligible children were officially enrolled in school.

Sleeping arrangements in the family home

Large families often slept together in the kitchen on benches or on top of the large oven used for heating and baking. Benches were cleverly designed with backs that tipped forward to prevent children from falling while they slept.

Food

Meat was a rare luxury food

Meat was a rarity for ordinary families, with annual per capita consumption around 14 kilograms, and meals often consisted of flour-based dishes, potatoes, or pulses.

Poor families ate dark potato dumplings

Poor families made dense dumplings from raw grated potatoes and rye or oat flour, known as blue dumplings or bosáky, which had a dark, slimy appearance.

Prices and wages
Around 1820–1840

Journeyman Weaver Wages

In the mid-19th century, a journeyman weaver typically earned about 1 silver groschen or 20 kreuzer per day for manual work. For piece-work, they might earn around 8 groschen per piece plus meals, totaling roughly 1 thaler per week.

Around 1850–1860

Worker Income and Food Prices

By the mid-19th century, an average worker's family earned about 20 gold (gulden) per month, with nearly half of their income spent on rent. In 1860, one kilogram of bread cost 11 kreuzer, while one kilogram of meat cost about 40 kreuzer.

Work
Around 1848–1848

Oil mill worker wages and queues

Around 1848, a worker operating a press in an oil mill earned a daily wage of 50 kreuzer. During peak times, customers had to take numbered tickets and wait in line to have their materials processed.

Long hours for domestic servants

Domestic servants in burgher households during the 19th century faced a grueling existence, with a typical working day lasting between 16 and 18 hours.

During their lifetime

  1. 1848

    Abolition of serfdom in 1848

    In 1848, the revolution led to the abolition of serfdom across the empire, fundamentally changing the lives of rural people.

  2. 1858

    Introduction of new silver florin currency

    The silver florin Austrian currency was introduced into circulation in 1858, replacing the previous Convention currency.

  3. 1860

    Railway transport arrives in Pilsen

    Ceremonial railway transport operations officially opened in Pilsen in 1860.

  4. 1873

    The financial crash of 1873

    The financial crash of 1873 led to a severe economic depression and was followed by 152 registered suicides.

  5. 1883

    First telephone network in Pilsen

    The first telephone network in Pilsen was established in 1883, serving 11 initial participants.

  6. 1884

    Social reform laws enacted

    Major social reform laws were enacted in 1884, limiting workdays to eleven hours and requiring Sunday rest.

Family

Spouses

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.