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Duchess Thyra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

1919–1981

Born
18 Jun 1919, Sorgenfri Palace
Country of birth
Denmark
Died
27 Sep 1981, Flensburg
facts
7
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 · Sorgenfri Palace

    Birth, Sorgenfri Palace

  2. Died · Flensburg

    Death, Flensburg

What was it like?

The world around Sorgenfri Palace, 1919: 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.

Duchess was born around the same time as Federico Fellini, Judy Garland, and Toshirō Mifune.

Born around the same time

  • Federico Fellini

    1920 · Italian filmmaker (1920–1993)

  • Judy Garland

    1922 · American actress, singer, dancer and vaudevillian (1922–1969)

  • Toshirō Mifune

    1920 · Japanese actor (1920–1997)

  • Ademir de Menezes

    1922 · Brazilian footballer (1922–1996)

  • John F. Kennedy

    1917 · president of the United States from 1961 to 1963 (1917–1963)

  • John Paul II

    1920 · pope, cardinal, bishop, priest, author

Fashion

Changing urban silhouettes and suits

Around 1900, women's fashion shifted toward a corseted, S-shaped silhouette with a narrow waist, but by 1914, the style became less restrictive, featuring higher waistlines and shorter sleeves. By 1906, urban women in Copenhagen were also wearing tailored walking suits (spadseredragt) made of white wool with pearl buttons.

Extensive wardrobes for special occasions

In some regions, such as Amager, women had highly specific outfits for different occasions, and it was said that an Amager woman needed at least 11 different aprons to be appropriately dressed for every event. A man might own three different suits, which was still considered more than in many other parts of Denmark.

Music

Professionalization of village fiddlers

By the early 1900s, traditional fiddlers who once played for country parties often transitioned into professional musicians in city orchestras, reflecting the shift away from earlier village instruments like bagpipes and hurdy-gurdies.

Home music in interwar rural Denmark

In rural bourgeois-like homes during the interwar period, families entertained guests with piano performances featuring classical-romantic repertoire or dance music during dinners and coffee gatherings.

Getting around

Crossing frozen waters on foot

When the Great Belt was frozen in winter, mail and passengers were sometimes transported across the ice in large boats drawn by men.

Efficient train ferry transfer times

Roll-on roll-off train ferries significantly cut transfer times, reducing the loading and unloading of carriages at each port from about 3 hours to 30 minutes or less.

Daily life

Living in 1-2 room apartments

In Copenhagen, many working-class families lived in 1- or 2-room apartments where they slept, ate, and played in the same room. Toilets were often shared facilities located in the courtyard.

School shifts and child labor

To manage limited space and high demand, city schools divided students into two shifts, one from 8 am to 1 pm and the other from 1 pm to 6 pm. Outside of these hours, children often worked to earn money for their families.

Food
Around 1918–1918

Strict meat and coffee rationing during war

During World War I in November 1918, meat rationing was extremely strict, limiting individuals to just 120 grams of pork and beef combined per week. In the same month, coffee was also rationed to only 50 grams per person per month.

Around 1920–1939

Eating Seagull Eggs on Saltholm Island

Families on Saltholm island gathered and ate seagull eggs, sometimes surviving for a month in spring almost exclusively on dishes like boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, and omelets. They also sold these eggs to earn money for essential supplies like flour and bread.

Prices and wages
Around 1925–1925

Skilled worker wages and bread prices 1925

In 1925, a skilled worker earned 1.79 kroner per hour, while 1 kg of rye bread cost 0.36 kroner.

Basic food prices, 1900-1920

The price of 1 kg of rye bread for a skilled worker was 0.14 kroner in 1900 and rose to 0.23 kroner by 1920. Over the same period, 1/4 kg of butter increased from 0.50 kroner to 1.70 kroner.

Work

The battle for an 8-hour workday

The 8-hour workday was officially implemented in most trades by January 1, 1920, following intense labor strikes and the construction workers' weekend movement. Before this, working days commonly lasted 10 to 12 hours or more.

A 12-hour workday and long commutes

In 1904, a typical workday for a Danish laborer was 12 hours long, with 1.5 hours of breaks, totaling up to 14 hours away from home due to long commutes. Workers often walked to their jobs because transport options were limited.

News and letters

Motorization of Mail Transport

Starting in 1908, the Danish postal service began replacing slow horse-drawn carriages with motor vehicles to speed up mail transport between train stations and steam-ferry berths. In 1910-11, these early mail vans covered over 63,000 kilometers, though they required frequent maintenance.

Around 1925–1925

Rapid Airmail Deliveries in 1925

In a 1925 experiment, airmail sent between Copenhagen and Berlin could be delivered to the recipient on the same day it was posted.

During their lifetime

  1. 1921

    First hot dog stands appear (1921)

    The first six hot dog stands appeared in the streets of Copenhagen.

  2. 1923

    Currency restabilization fueled economic recovery by 1927

    Following the restabilization of the currency in late 1923, Germany secured 800 million gold marks in foreign loans by 1927, which helped industrial production return to 1913 levels.

  3. 1928

    First traffic light installed (1928)

    The first traffic light in Denmark was installed at the intersection of Frederiksborggade and Nørre Farimagsgade.

  4. 1933

    Car ownership grew slowly between 1933 and 1938

    Motorization remained limited in the 1930s, as the number of cars grew from 0.5 million in 1933 to 1.3 million in 1938, yet there were still only 19 cars for every 1,000 inhabitants.

  5. 1938

    Statutory holiday introduced (1938)

    The Holiday Act established that workers were entitled to two weeks of statutory holiday per year.

  6. 1953

    First supermarket opens in 1953

    In 1953, the first supermarket in Denmark opened in the Copenhagen suburb of Islev, changing how people shopped by allowing them to select pre-packaged items with a basket.

Family

Parents

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.