Skip to content
VitrineRoyal Houses of Europe
Sign in

Erich Prinz von Thurn und Taxis

1876–1952

Born
11 Jan 1876, Mcely Castle
Country of birth
Czechia
Died
20 Oct 1952, Q134456310
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 · Mcely Castle

    Birth, Mcely Castle

  2. Event · Member of the Bohemian Diet

    Event

  3. Child born: Franz von Assisi Prinz von Thurn und Taxis

    Birth

  4. Died · Q134456310

    Death, Q134456310

What was it like?

The world around Mcely Castle, 1876: 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.

Erich was born the same year as Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Pau Casals, and Manuel de Falla.

Known for

Titles held

  • Member of the Bohemian Diet1911–1913
Born the same year

  • Filippo Tommaso Marinetti

    Italian poet and editor, founder of the Futurist movement (1876-1944)

  • Pau Casals

    Spanish cellist, conductor and composer (1876–1973)

  • Manuel de Falla

    Spanish composer (1876–1946)

  • Konrad Adenauer

    German politician, Chancellor of West Germany (1949–1963), Zentrum and CDU

  • Jack London

    American author, journalist and social activist (1876–1916)

  • Pius XII

    pope of the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958

Fashion

Weekday skirts for women

Working-class women often wore blue-dyed linen or cotton skirts on weekdays, frequently embellished with white printed patterns known as moäraeck.

Intricate apron embroidery

Peasant women created aprons with elaborate embroidered blossom borders that could take an experienced worker more than a full week to complete.

Music

Harpist hired for tavern dances

A blind harpist from the village of Syrovín continued to be hired by local youths to play at tavern dances until around 1890. It was common for folk musicians to perform for intimate occasions, sometimes playing alone while singing and stomping to keep the rhythm.

Around 1864–1868

Popularity of Kde domov muj

The song Kde domov muj was commonly performed at national festivals, banner consecrations, and political demonstrations. It was even sung in a fantastic underworld setting inside caverns during a banner dedication ceremony in 1864.

Getting around

Faster travel between Vienna and Graz

Taking the train from Vienna to Graz took nine hours, which was a significant improvement over the twenty-nine hours required by post coach.

Horse-drawn railway journey and restaurant stop

The horse-drawn railway from České Budějovice to Linz took 14 hours, with a midday break at the Kerschbaum station, which hosted the first railway restaurant in Europe.

Daily life
Around 1875–1875

Scarce hot water and shared baths

Hot water was so scarce that in 1875, a single bucket of hot water brought from a brewery cost 4 krejcary. Families often bathed in the same water in a portable tub in the kitchen.

Homemade lighting and fire safety precautions

In the 19th century, the cheapest source of light was a simple wooden piece known as a torchlight, which burned for about ten minutes and had to be constantly replaced. To prevent fire in wooden homes, children kept the light over a vessel filled with water so the burning end would drop safely into it.

Food
Around 1870–1870

Cost of a meal in 1870

In 1870, a full meal at a Prague canteen cost 18 kreuzers, with soup priced at 3 kreuzers, beef at 7 kreuzers, and a pint of beer at 12 kreuzers.

Around 1869–1869

Daily meals of working-class families

Ordinary working-class families frequently relied on basic soups, bread, potatoes, and legumes like lentils or peas, with meat being a rare treat for Sunday dinners. Breakfast often consisted of bread and coffee, while evening meals were simple, sometimes just bread with butter, cheese, or beer.

Prices and wages

Worker earnings and housing costs

In 1900, an average worker earned between 60 and 120 crowns per month, while mid-19th-century workers typically brought home about 20 gold coins monthly. Rent often consumed nearly half of these earnings.

Survival and extreme dietary measures

Due to extreme poverty, some workers supplemented their scarce diet by hunting sparrows, crows, or even consuming cats and cockchafers. Street kitchens also served the poorest, often reusing tools without cleaning them between customers.

Work

Common Skilled Trades

The most common skilled trades included shoemakers, bakers, tailors, carpenters, locksmiths, plumbers, butchers, barbers, and glaziers.

Difficult Living and Working Conditions

In a Prague glove workshop, inspectors found 20 apprentices for only 26 workers, while some bakers locked their apprentices in cellar dormitories at night to prevent theft. Workers in Vienna often spent up to one-third of their earnings just on rent for cellar or attic dwellings.

During their lifetime

  1. 1876

    Metric system becomes mandatory in 1876

    In 1876, the metric system became mandatory for all measurements across Austria.

  2. 1883

    First telephone network in Pilsen

    The first telephone network in Pilsen was established in 1883, serving 11 initial participants.

  3. 1884

    Electric street lighting installed in 1884

    In 1884, the first permanent electric street lighting system in the empire was installed in Temesvár.

  4. 1884

    Social reform laws enacted

    Major social reform laws were enacted in 1884, limiting workdays to eleven hours and requiring Sunday rest.

  5. 1892

    Gold crown currency introduced in 1892

    In 1892, the gold crown currency was introduced, replacing the old florin system.

  6. 1903

    First electric railway opens (1903)

    The Krizik company completed the first electric railway line in the region between Tabor and Bechyne.

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.