Country life in the old days

When people talk about the "good old days", they are referring to an ideal situation in which life was calm and tranquil. However, the reality of our ancestors was usually very different. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the lives of farmers, craftsmen and labourers were characterised by hard work six days a week. This was the only way to earn and earn a living. Only the new class of labourers had regular time off.
Agriculture, crafts and industry were characterised by manual labour. Aids were wooden or mechanical metal tools. Goods were mainly transported using carts pulled by oxen or horses. The railway lines were still under construction and stagecoaches still travelled between the small towns. Children could still play safely on the roads.
The seasons still determined everyday life to a greater extent. In winter, people cut wood, cut ice or knitted, mended and spun in the warm parlour.
In the warmer months, life in the country towns took place on the streets, people met to wash their clothes by the stream or fetch water from the well. Shops also offered their goods on the pavement in front of the shops, and beer was still delivered in barrels by the "beer coachman".
Fifty photographic snapshots from the Fichtelgebirge, taken between 1890 and 1960, tell of this "country life in the old days".

Last edited on 27.03.2025