Prince Heinrich Hartneid of Liechtenstein

Prince Heinrich of Liechtenstein was a Liechtensteiner prince, diplomat and brother of Franz Joseph II.

Black embroidery for mourning heroes

In the Domažlice region, women wore collars embroidered in black to mourn a popular hero, Kozina, who was executed there.

Expensive and wide festive skirts

Women's festive skirts were exceptionally wide, using 10 to 12 ells of fabric, and could cost between 10 and 15 silver florins.

Brass Bands and Enthusiastic Prague Audiences

Brass bands were central to Prague's cultural life, with military and civilian ensembles performing dozens of times each week in summer at parks and garden pubs. These performances were so popular that audiences often demanded encores, such as the march Hey, Gretel, which was once repeated three times due to overwhelming applause.

Popular Bagpipe and Violin Duos

In the Chodsko region, small musical duos of bagpipe and violin were highly popular for weddings and local festivals because they were inexpensive and portable. Musicians in these groups played by memory, often improvising melodies and rhythmic variations during the music.

Faster Journeys by Rail

Railway network improvements significantly reduced travel times, with a journey from Czech lands to the Adriatic Sea taking only 15 hours by the first decade of the 20th century. By 1918, it took approximately 8 hours to travel by train from Prague to the eastern city of Ostrava.

Shift from Carriages to Trains

Traveling by carriage was expensive, slow, and uncomfortable compared to the railway, which became the preferred method for mass transport and leisure trips starting in the mid-19th century. Railway companies even organized special theater trains to bring thousands of spectators to the National Theatre in Prague during the 1880s.

Bathing rituals in the household

Families used a single tin bathtub brought into the kitchen, which was filled with water heated on a stove. To conserve resources, the entire family bathed in the same water, typically with children going first, followed by the wife, and finally the husband.

Children's work and education

Children in families engaged in domestic production were often required to work from a very young age, which frequently resulted in the neglect of their school attendance. In the Czech districts, compulsory education lasted for eight years, starting at age six.

Sweet main courses and Sunday meat

Sweet dishes like dumplings filled with plum jam, poppy seed noodles, or pancakes were frequently served as a main course, especially on Fridays or traditional fast days. In contrast, meat dishes were saved for Sunday dinners or special family occasions like weddings and funerals.

Working-class diets relied on meatless staples

Ordinary working-class families often survived on a daily diet of coffee substitute made from chicory or grain, eaten with bread, and thick meatless soups. Meat was a rarity, typically reserved for Sundays, while vegetables like potatoes, legumes, and cabbage formed the daily base.

Low agricultural wages for families

Some women working in agriculture earned only 24 kreutzers per day for labor lasting from sunrise to sunset, while young boys received 12 kreutzers.

Long factory shifts and exhausting commutes

Factory workers in the early 20th century often worked shifts of 10 to 12 hours, with the rhythm of daily life dictated by the factory siren rather than the seasons. Miners, who often walked up to two hours to reach the pit, were sometimes so exhausted that they barely had time to sleep before their next shift.

Struggling domestic weavers and factory diets

Domestic weavers extended their working hours to 12 or 16 hours a day to survive, while their families subsisted on a diet mainly of potatoes, thin soups, sauerkraut, mash, and bread. In contrast, factory workers could occasionally afford better food like meat, milk, and vegetables with their higher wages.