"Reading in the ashes - ... " Lecture at the Bautzen Archive Association

Fires destroy property, lives and plans - both today and in the early modern period. At the same time, they produce a large number of fire records that give us a rare insight into people's everyday lives. They also give a voice to those who would otherwise have none: the small craftsman, the poor widow, the maid or even the day laborer. We learn about the structural condition of the houses and apartments, about their possessions, about their coexistence with their neighbors. Using selected fire records, the lecture will give a more precise idea of life in Bautzen in the 17th and 18th centuries.