Skip to content
VitrineRoyal Houses of Europe
Sign in

Gustaw Ehrenberg

1818–1895

Born
14 Feb 1818, Warsaw
Country of birth
Russian Empire, today Poland
Died
28 Sep 1895, Kraków
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 · Warsaw

    Birth, Warsaw

  2. Died · Kraków

    Death, Kraków

What was it like?

The world around Warsaw, 1818: 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.

Gustaw was born around the same time as Rudolf Virchow, Jacques Offenbach, and Clara Schumann.

Born around the same time

  • Rudolf Virchow

    1821 · German doctor, anthropologist, public health activist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician (1821-1902)

  • Jacques Offenbach

    1819 · German-born French composer (1819–1880)

  • Clara Schumann

    1819 · German musician and composer (1819–1896)

  • Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

    1819 · Consort of Queen Victoria from 1840 to 1861 (1819–1861)

  • Fyodor Dostoyevsky

    1821 · Russian novelist (1821–1881)

  • Friedrich Engels

    1820 · German philosopher, sociologist and economist (1820–1895)

Fashion

Common plica polonica hair conditions

In the Mazovian region, peasants frequently suffered from matted hair conditions known as plica polonica, which could grow into thick, hat-like structures.

Peasants carried spare shoes on journeys

For long journeys, peasants carried spare pairs of bast shoes on their backs, often making new ones from leather or plant fibers themselves.

Music

Children learned instruments while minding geese

Children learned to play simple instruments such as willow flutes, whistles, reed pipes, or trumpets bought at village fairs while minding geese.

Church bells marked time and warned people

Church bells served as the primary timekeeping tool for villagers, while also acting as warning signals for fires and protective tools against storms in folklore.

Getting around

Stagecoach travel speed

In the early 19th century, horse-drawn stagecoaches were the main mode of travel between cities, with a standard speed of about 15 kilometers per hour.

Traveler luggage and ticket rules

Travelers in stagecoaches were limited to 20-25 kg of luggage and had to purchase tickets in advance for numbered seats.

Daily life

Peasant smoke huts without chimneys

Many peasant homes were smoke huts with no chimneys, forcing residents to cook with the door open or endure smoke that coated the walls in soot. Even into the mid-19th century, keeping these homes clean was nearly impossible due to the thick grease and soot buildup.

Sleeping on clay ovens

During winter, the large clay baking ovens served as essential beds where children, the hired girl, or anyone feeling cold would sleep. The warm surface of the oven and the small space between it and the wall were the primary sleeping areas for family members.

Food
Around 1825–1849

Everyday and Special Occasion Drinks

Peasants drank bread or beet kvass and beer, while tea and coffee were sometimes considered luxury or special occasion items, occasionally even prepared with butter or salt in poor households.

Around 1825–1849

Staple Diet of Ordinary Families

Peasant families commonly relied on rye bread, potatoes, and vegetable soups like cabbage soup, often eating meat only during major religious holidays like Christmas or Easter.

Prices and wages
Around 1820–1820

Food prices in Warsaw, 1820

In Warsaw around 1820, a pound of rye bread cost 6 gr, while a pound of good beef cost 8 gr. A bochenek (loaf) of rye bread weighing over 3 pounds cost 12 gr.

Soldiers' daily pay, 1820s

A private in the capital city's garrison received 16 gr in daily pay, whereas a soldier on the provinces earned 15 gr per day. Starting in 1816, they also received an additional 0.5 gr per day as compensation for the consumption tax on meat.

Work

Daily Wages for Hired Labor

Wages for hired labor were generally 24 grosz for a day with draft animals and 12 grosz for foot labor.

Length of the Summer Workday

The workday was regulated by sunrise and sunset, meaning it could last from 4 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. in the summer.

News and letters
Around 1816–1816

Diverse postal transport methods in 1816

By 1816, the postal service in the Kingdom of Poland used varied transport, ranging from foot postmen on side roads to light two-wheeled carriages and expedited horse-relay post for urgent needs.

Around 1825–1825

Postal delivery fees in 1825

In the Polish Kingdom, postmen collected 4 groszy for delivering a letter, or 8 groszy for a money letter, until these fees were reduced by half in 1825.

During their lifetime

  1. 1830

    November Insurrection begins in 1830

    The November Insurrection in 1830 against Russian rule caused significant instability and triggered migration, particularly for those fleeing the resulting conflict.

  2. 1846

    Peasant land protection decree in 1846

    In 1846, Russian authorities issued a decree prohibiting the removal of peasants from small holdings of less than 1.7 hectares to provide greater land security.

  3. 1854

    Mechanical textile production begins in Łódź

    In 1854, the Scheibler factory was founded in Łódź, marking a technological shift with the introduction of 100 mechanical looms and 18,000 spindles.

  4. 1864

    Peasants granted freedom by 1864 reform

    The abolition of serfdom in 1864 granted peasants legal freedom and equality, a major step in building a modern nation.

  5. 1870

    Railway connections expand to Russia

    Railway expansion linked Poland to the Russian interior, with connections established to Moscow in 1870 and Kiev in 1871.

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.