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Maximilian Arco-Zinneberg

1811–1885

Born
13 Dec 1811, Rennertshofen
Country of birth
Germany
Died
13 Nov 1885, Merano
facts
8
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Rennertshofen

    Birth, Rennertshofen

  2. Died · Merano

    Death, Merano

What was it like?

The world around Rennertshofen, 1811: 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.

Maximilian was born around the same time as Richard Wagner, Robert Schumann, and Frédéric Chopin.

Born around the same time

  • Richard Wagner

    1813 · German composer (1813–1883)

  • Robert Schumann

    1810 · German composer, pianist and critic (1810–1856)

  • Frédéric Chopin

    1810 · Polish composer and pianist (1810–1849)

  • Giuseppe Verdi

    1813 · Italian opera composer (1813–1901)

  • Felix Mendelssohn

    1809 · German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of Jewish descent (1809-1847)

  • Abraham Lincoln

    1809 · president of the United States from 1861 to 1865 (1809-1865)

Fashion

Industrious Spinning in Rural Winter Life

Young women in rural Prussia were often famous for their industriousness, frequently spinning two or even three pieces of yarn daily after completing their domestic chores and farm work. This spinning took place in communal spinning rooms, which served as the center of winter life.

Limited Resources for Rural Children

Children from poorer families often wore clothes made from their parents' discarded garments and frequently went barefoot over stones and stubble during the summer. In some villages, a single umbrella was considered a rare luxury owned by the entire community.

Music

Singing at church and parish gatherings

For many people in the Prussian lands, Sunday church service was a weekly routine, and singing could also happen at church occasions. Beyond worship, people spent leisure time with games like bowling and cards, and with dancing at local fairs and shooting festivals.

Getting around

High cost of travel

A short stagecoach trip from Berlin to Magdeburg cost four Taler, which was nearly the entire monthly wage of a village schoolteacher.

Around 1819–1819

Berlin travel times in 1819

In 1819, a traveler starting from Berlin could reach Potsdam in four hours by stagecoach, while Leipzig took 23 hours.

Daily life

Daily lighting and water access challenges

Lighting was scarce and provided by tallow candles, oil lamps, or pine splinters that were often held in the hearth. Water for daily needs was typically retrieved from village pumps or springs, and chores like fetching water could be time-consuming, requiring one to wait for buckets to fill under a slow stream.

Seasonal schooling and untrained teachers

Compulsory primary schooling existed, but children often only attended school in winter because they were needed for farm work and animal herding the rest of the year. Teachers were often untrained individuals, such as former soldiers or weavers, who were appointed by local churches.

Food

Potatoes as the staple food

Ordinary rural families typically ate three meals a day, relying heavily on potatoes, buckwheat porridge, or milk with bread. Potatoes were so central to the diet that they were often eaten boiled in their jackets, sometimes without salt.

The rise of potato schnapps

Potato-based schnapps became a widespread and essential daily pleasure for the poor, as it was much cheaper to produce than grain-based spirits. Some observers noted that after market days, many farmers returned home in a state of intoxication.

Prices and wages

Marriage requirements and net worth

To obtain permission to marry, a couple often needed to prove a minimum net worth of 100 to 200 guilders.

Work

Common jobs in rural Prussia

By 1800, free agricultural laborers were the largest group in the rural workforce, while live-in servants (Gesinde) also performed essential domestic and farm duties.

Around 1809–1809

Typical daily labor activities

A typical work day involved diverse manual tasks including cutting fodder, plowing with oxen, weeding thistles, and hauling potatoes and timber. Work was highly organized, with specific labor assigned to farmhands, day laborers, and women.

News and letters

Faster Travel and Express Mail

The introduction of express mail in 1821 significantly improved travel times, with the Berlin-Cologne route being completed in 102 hours, saving 30 hours. Previously, travel was often grueling, with some journeys between cities like Danzig and Königsberg taking 72 hours.

During their lifetime

  1. 1812

    Jews granted citizenship in 1812

    Prussia passed an edict that granted Jews citizenship, ending their status as protected subjects with special taxes.

  2. 1834

    Zollverein customs union founded in 1834

    The Zollverein was founded to eliminate customs duties between German states, fostering economic integration under Prussian leadership.

  3. 1835

    Deadly cholera epidemic hits Italy in 1835

    A cholera epidemic struck Italy between 1835 and 1837, resulting in over 140,000 deaths, including nearly 20,000 in Naples alone. Poor sanitation in urban centers favored the spread of the disease, which disproportionately affected the poor.

  4. 1842

    Freedom of movement laws in 1842

    Prussia introduced new laws enabling greater freedom of movement and settlement for individuals not dependent on public relief.

  5. 1842

    First seaside medical hostel opens in 1842

    In 1842, a seaside hostel was opened in Viareggio, Tuscany, specifically for treating children suffering from tuberculosis. This was the first facility of its kind in Italy, marking an early attempt at marine therapy.

  6. 1844

    Weaver uprising in 1844

    Handloom weavers in Upper Silesia led a famous protest against their publishers due to harsh competition from mechanized factories.

Family

Parents

Spouses

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.