Carriage Museum
Permanent exhibition of carriages
The carriage museum was opened to the public on 3 June 2000. The museum presents a collection of 19 carriages from the Prague Archbishopric, the Postal museum, the National Technical Museum, the National Museum of Agriculture and the Prague City Museum.
| Exhibits | |
|---|---|
| Personal sleigh | (beginning of 20th century) - personal sleighs were a popular means of transport in winter. For longer journeys sleighs with a closed four-seat body were manufactured. |
| Wagonette | (last 20 years of the 19th century) - an open carriage for six with a driver's seat for two. It was used for various purposes such as longer trips in the countryside and for training horses. |
| Dogcart | (end of 19th, beginning of 20th century) - the dogcart is of English origin and was used in the countryside and for hunting. Hunting dogs sat under the back seat and could jump out at their master's command without danger of being injured by the wheels. It was driven by a coachman. |
| Spider Phaeton | (first half of 20th century) - a light carriage for shorter journeys. It was driven by the owner and the back seat was meant for the equerry. Carriages for charioteer sports developed from this type - even this particular carriage was adapted for sports purposes in the 1980's. |
| Wicker barouche | (first half of the 20th century) - barouches were the most popular carriages in the countryside. They were manufactured in various forms by local craftsmen - wheelwrights, ironsmiths and saddlers. |
| Butcher barouche | (first half of the 20th century) - butchers used these barouches to transport their goods. The body was therefore adapted for transporting animals to the slaughterhouse. |
| Mylord | (around 1914) - these carriages have their origin in France and they got their name around 1830 from the English expression for addressing a nobleman. Prior to this date they were called "cabriolet" or "cab phaeton". A similar carriage without a driver's seat was called "Victoria" after the English Queen Victoria (1819-1901). Ladies used victorias for promenade rides. Traction was introduced from the saddle. |
| Mylord | (around 1900) - the first owner of this carriage was count Mensdorf z Boskovic. This type of carriages was popular with the high society in the towns as well as with rich farmers in the countryside. They were used for shorter journeys, trips and for hire. |
| "Postal" carriage | (around 1930) - its construction is based on large mail-coaches of the 19th century. However, it was never used for transporting people over long distances. Instead, it was used for shorter transportations for example from the hotel to the railway station in spas. It features more modern elements such as jaw brakes on the rear wheels, rubber tyres and electric lighting powered by an accumulator. |
| Coupé - Sovereign | (around 1900) - light carriage for town and shorter journeys |
| Buggy | Buggy (beginning of 20th century) - buggies combine the advantages of closed coupés and landaus. A compact body with a partially retractable roof guarantees a pleasant journey in all weather conditions. |
| Town carriage | (around 1850) - similar carriages served as hackney coaches. Their modern construction made travelling comfortable and safe. |
| Landau | (end of 19th century) - landau carriages were among the most popular. A double retractable roof guaranteed a pleasant journey in fair and foul weather alike. They were manufactured from the end of 17th century until the end of carriage manufacture. The styles ranged from everyday to luxury carriages for important nobility. |
| Hansom Cab | (around 1850) - this carriage was named after the English architect and inventor Joseph A. Hansom who had it patented in 1835. A single axle carriage for short traction made turning in narrow lanes possible and is a typical example of an English carriage for hire. It was also widespread in the United States. |
| Berlina | (1791) - the festive carriage of the mayors of Prague is a typical example of a berlina for representation purposes. This comfortable carriage with a platform for a footman and a painted coat of arms of Prague was donated by the municipal council to the Museum of the Capital City of Prague. |
| Ferdinand I's coupé berlingot | (1828) - carriages with a shorter body for two passengers were called coupés. In France shorter berlinas were called berlingots. The Austrian Kaiser Ferdinand I the Benign, or Ferdinand V. as the Czech king, used it after his resettlement in Prague following his abdication as Kaiser. |
| Coupé Berlingot | Prague Archbishopric (turn of 18th century) - carriage of the archbishops of Prague |
| Berlina | Archbishopric (turn of 18th century) - carriage of the archbishops of Prague |
| Festive Karosa | Prague Archbishopric (1720) - this festive carriage of the archbishops of Prague is a historical monument and a display of exceptional craftsmanship. It is a work of art of the high Baroque crafted in Central Europe. It was used for the coronation ceremonies of Czech kings, enthronement of archbishops and other festive occasions. It was always drawn by several teams of black horses whose colour was reminiscent of the bishops' robes. |
Opening hours and admission fees information
Photogallery
