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Maria Dolores Franzyska Kolowrat-Krakowská

1926–1982

Born
28 Feb 1926, Basel
Country of birth
Switzerland
Died
12 May 1982, Saint-Lary
facts
5
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth28 Feb 1926, BaselProbable1 source
  • Death12 May 1982, Saint-LaryProbable1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Basel

    Birth, Basel

  2. Child born: Igor Bogdanoff

    Birth, Saint-Lary

  3. Died · Saint-Lary

    Death, Saint-Lary

What was it like?

The world around Basel, 1926: 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.

Maria was born the same year as Marilyn Monroe, Fidel Castro, and Harper Lee.

Born the same year

  • Marilyn Monroe

    American actress and model (1926–1962)

  • Fidel Castro

    Cuban politician, author and revolutionary (1926–2016)

  • Harper Lee

    American novelist (1926–2016)

  • Alfredo Di Stéfano

    Argentine-Spanish association football player (1926–2014)

  • Elizabeth II

    Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022 (1926–2022)

  • Michel Foucault

    French philosopher (1926–1984)

Fashion
Around 1925–1925

Cost of traditional Appenzell costumes

In 1925, a new women's costume was designed for Ausserrhoden, with a Sunday version costing 4,000 francs and a weekday version costing 1,200 francs.

Embroidery time for costumes

Hand-embroidering the small design on the white collar of an Appenzell women's costume takes seven hours of meticulous manual work.

Music

Popularity of the Schwyzerörgeli accordion

The Schwyzerörgeli, a type of accordion, was a dominant instrument for Ländler music, which became popular in cities as a form of social dance music.

Around 1930–1949

Pressure to modernize folk bands

During the 1930s and 1940s, Ländler bands were frequently pressured by event organizers to incorporate modern instruments like saxophones and drums to satisfy dancers.

Getting around

Expansion of affordable rail and bus travel

During the interwar period, Swiss railways and postbuses expanded their ticket offers, including reduced prices for families and ski trips, to attract more travelers.

Around 1900–1924

Gotthard railway slashes transit times

By the turn of the century, the Gotthard railway had reduced the travel time between Basel and Chiasso to approximately 10.5 hours. This represented a massive improvement over earlier methods, which had taken 3.5 days by carriage or 6 days by mule train.

Daily life
Around 1930–1930

Early electric appliance costs and usage

By 1930, some households used electric appliances for cooking and washing, paying 40 Rp. per kWh for electricity during high-tariff morning and evening hours.

Kitchens served as bathrooms for families

Families heated water for bathing in the kitchen using stoves or kettles, and weekly baths were often taken in a large galvanized tub placed on the kitchen floor.

Food
Around 1900–1924

Alcohol as a morning staple

Industrial workers would rush to taverns early in the morning for a pre-work hit of liquor, which cost 20 centimes even as late as the 1930s.

Around 1900–1924

Stretching meals with bread and coffee

Working-class families spent approximately 62 percent of their income on food, relying heavily on bread, potatoes, and coffee mixed with chicory as a cheaper substitute. Bread was so essential that it was used to stretch every meal, including soups or rösti.

Prices and wages
Around 1914–1919

Rising food costs 1914–1919

In 1914, basic food prices were 35 centimes per kilogram for bread, 19 centimes per kilogram for potatoes, and 24 centimes per liter for milk. By 1919, the price of bread had more than doubled to 73 centimes per kilogram.

Work

Long working days in agriculture

Agricultural workers in 1930 faced extremely long days, often ranging from 12 to 16 hours in total, including time for meals and travel.

Around 1930–1930

Weekly farm wages in 1930

In 1930, an ordinary male farm laborer earned about 19.55 Swiss francs per week in cash, while a female farm servant earned 13.70 francs per week.

During their lifetime

  1. 1929

    1929 crisis leads to mass unemployment

    The 1929 global economic crisis caused unemployment to soar from 8,000 people to 93,000 by 1936. Many industries, especially textiles, never recovered, forcing the government to finally devalue the Swiss franc by 30% in 1936.

  2. 1939

    1939 Wahlen Plan increases food self-sufficiency

    To prepare for the Second World War, the government introduced the Wahlen Plan in 1939 to increase food self-sufficiency by doubling arable land for crops like potatoes. Rationing of staple foods was implemented and remained in place until 1948.

  3. 1944

    Women gain voting rights in 1944

    In October 1944, a government ordinance finally granted women the right to vote in France.

  4. 1950

    Creation of the minimum wage

    In 1950, the government established the minimum wage (SMIG) to improve workers' purchasing power.

  5. 1953

    Television begins test operations

    In 1953, television began test operations in Switzerland, marking the start of a new era in home entertainment.

  6. 1956

    Third week of paid vacation

    In 1956, French workers were granted a third week of paid vacation, significantly increasing their leisure time.

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.