Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, was a duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was the first son of Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Marie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In 1853, he succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He was of a retiring disposition and he took little active part in running the country.

Festive attire and heated ruffles

For feast days, women wore black cashmere or silk dresses with a white ruffle at the collar that was permanently set into waves using a heated iron.

Head-carried baskets with embroidered rings

Deliverers carried their goods in round white baskets called Mange on their heads, supported by embroidered cloth rings that served as both cushions and decorative accessories.

The 1833 Prussian Music Festival in Marienburg

In 1833, the first Prussian Music Festival took place in Marienburg, featuring over 200 participants including 49 singers and 143 musicians and singers from across East and West Prussia.

The noisy brummtopf folk instrument

The brummtopf was a peculiar noise-making instrument used by groups of young people during winter festivities; it was made of a small wooden barrel covered with calfskin and played by rubbing horsehair strands inserted into the skin with wet hands.

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.

Difficult and slow travel by stagecoach

Traveling by stagecoach in Prussia was often grueling and uncomfortable due to poorly maintained, unpaved roads and cramped, unsprung carriages. A journey from Berlin to Königsberg, spanning 565 kilometers, typically took ten to eleven days by post coach.

Child labor and rudimentary schooling conditions

Children in rural areas were often tasked with labor, such as preparing and binding daily bundles of fuel for the household fire, a chore that frequently left their hands bleeding. Schooling was frequently held in the teacher's house, where the teacher was often a poorly paid local craftsman.

Homes heated by smoky, open hearths

Peasant homes often lacked chimneys, relying on open hearths that provided both light and heat while filling the living space with smoke. Small bundles of green pine brush, known as Kulelkes, were commonly used as fuel for these fires.

Daily wheat cake despite poverty

In some villages, even the poorest people ate wheat cake daily, fresh from the oven, which was criticized by doctors for supposedly damaging their digestion.

Potato schnapps among common men

Potato schnapps was a popular and widespread drink among common men in East Prussia, so much so that some would sell their last chicken to afford it.

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.

The daily life of servants

The 1810 master and servant code permitted corporal punishment of servants and required them to submit to the master's will in all tasks. Servants lived in the employer's household, often sleeping in chambers above stables, and shared meals at the farmer's table.

Common jobs in 19th-century Prussia

Common jobs included agricultural work, such as farm laborers and servants (Gesinde), as well as home-based textile work like weaving. Many also worked as day laborers in both rural and growing urban areas.