Wheeled vehicles already existed in prehistoric times; they are mentioned in the most ancient sources as well-known objects. Thus, in one of the most ancient verses of the Vedas, a comparison is used: “just as a wheel rolls behind a horse, so both worlds follow you.”

In Asia, carts have been used for a long time, along with riding and pack animals. The Greeks in Homer's time used chariots. Details of the design of ancient carts remain unknown; only the external shape of two-wheeled war chariots is well depicted in many surviving bas-reliefs and other images.

UNGEWITTER, HUGO (1869-c.1944)
A Noblewoman Alighting her Carriage, signed and dated 1906.

There is no doubt, in view of many places of ancient authors, that wheeled carts have long been used to transport goods. Thus, Homer says that Nausicaä asked her father for a cart to take her and her friends to the seashore to wash their clothes. Carts of this kind came with two and four wheels: Pliny attributes their invention to the Phrygians. The wheels of such a “plaustrum” were firmly mounted on axles, which rotated with them, like our railway cars, in bearings fixedly attached to the body. Such carts, very clumsy, still exist on the island of Formosa.

TSERETELLI, ZURAB (B. 1934).

The ancient Persians had a properly organized postal race; royal messengers quickly carried orders in other ancient states, but more details are known about the properly organized transportation of passengers on horseback only from the time of the Romans. This type of carriage was maintained by private people (crew; "cisium") and was two-wheeled, with a drawbar, like a convertible, but without springs, with a seat suspended by straps. They climbed into it from the side of the horses, and not from the back, as in chariots; images of cysium are already found on Etruscan vases. They traveled in such carriages very quickly: according to Suetonius, the emperor traveled in the light “meritoria vehicula” for distances of up to 150 centuries. per day.

V. Serov. Odysseus and Nausicaa

We have much more information about the ceremonial carriages of the Romans. Among the ancients, in general, the use of ceremonial chariots was the privilege of high-ranking officials and priests; Images of gods were also carried in special chariots during processions. Private individuals arrogated to themselves this right only in times of decline of morals, and under the empire they decorated their carriages with all possible luxury. The most ancient type is "arcera", it is mentioned in the laws of the twelve tables; it was a four-wheeled open cart; for women it was made on two wheels. Equally ancient are the stretchers, which were later given such a luxurious design that Caesar considered it necessary to issue a law limiting this luxury.

Engraving of a stagecoach in the black and red colors of the Post Office in the vicinity of Newmarket, Suffolk in 1827. A guard is visible from behind.

Somewhat later, the carpentum was invented, a two-wheeled carriage with a semi-cylindrical lid, and the carruca, the ancestor of modern carriages, a four-wheeled carriage with a covered body raised above the ride on four posts; in the back there was a seat for two persons, and the driver sat in front, below the gentlemen, or walked next to him. From the Gauls the Romans borrowed a tarataika with a body woven from willow - "sirpea", and from the inhabitants of the northern coast of Europe - a chariot "essedum", which was entered from the front; it served for both peaceful and military purposes.

Salvador Dali - The Phantom Carriage

During the era of migration of peoples and at the beginning of the Middle Ages, the use of a carriage was considered a sign of effeminacy; travel was made on horseback, and clergy and women rode donkeys. Chroniclers of this era only very rarely mention crews. Thus, Egingard narrates that the Merovingian king Chilperic rode everywhere in a Roman carpentum drawn by oxen; English Bishop St. Erkenwald in the 7th century. traveled and preached in a wheeled cart, as he was old and weak. Only after the Crusades did the fashion for carriages begin to revive, but they were allowed only for special occasions, for high-ranking officials, and ordinary people were prohibited from using them.

"The Arrival of the Mail Coach" by Boilly Louis-Leopold

A cart is the most general collective name for various vehicles driven by the muscular power of animals, regardless of the design features, area and purpose of use.

According to the area of ​​application, carts are divided into passenger and cargo (previously there were also military carts), according to the number of wheels - into two-wheeled (single-axle) and four-wheeled (two-axle), and also without wheels - on runners.

Willem de Zwart (1862-1931) - Carriages Waiting (Unknown Year)

The carrying capacity of the cart can reach up to 750 kg (for single-axle ones) and up to two tons (for two-axle ones).

Modern carts are often equipped with pneumatic tires, and sometimes also with pneumatic or hydraulic brakes.

PASSENGER CARRIAGES.

Crew types.

Coach- a closed passenger carriage with springs. Initially, the body was suspended on belts, then springs began to be used for suspension (from the beginning of the 18th century), and from the beginning of the 19th century, springs began to be used. Most often used for personal use, although from the late Middle Ages in Europe they began to be used also as public transport. An example is the stagecoach, omnibus and charabanc. The most common type of stagecoach can be considered a mail coach.

The word “carriage” came to Russia along with German carriages, when, from the middle of the 17th century, they began to be imported en masse by German merchants and became increasingly popular among the Moscow nobility. It is most likely that the word was used earlier along with other words common at that time (for example, “cracker”), and the word was also used in Ukrainian, Old Church Slavonic and Polish.

(Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Polish language, where kareta< итал. caretta, суф. производного от carro «воз» (из лат. carrus «повозка на четырех колесах»)). Переход с коня (для мужчин) и колымаги (для женщин) на карету для обоих полов символизировал допетровскую европеизацию русского дворянства.

Dormez- a large carriage for long trips with sleeping places.
DORMEZ (translated from French as “sleeping”) was a spacious carriage with sleeping places, intended for long trips. L.N. had such a carriage, inherited from his parents. Tolstoy, as his eldest son recalled, was pulled by six horses. The road carriages had VAZHI, or VASHI, at the top - boxes for luggage, and at the back there was a HUMP, which also served to place luggage.

Pannemaker Adolf. “Dust rose from under the dormez and hid the baby”: Il. to the poem by T.G. Shevchenko “Kobzar” (translation by N.V. Gerbel). Engraving from fig. N.N. Karazin. 19th century

Stagecoach- a large multi-seat passenger or postal carriage, widely used in the 19th century.

Military carts* - assigned to field troops for transporting military supplies, spare items and tools necessary to maintain equipment in good condition on the march and in battle, provisions, fodder, office supplies, cash treasury, sick and wounded.
In general terms, they consist of a course on which the body or box of the cart is mounted; the passage is formed from a main frame made up of several longitudinal beds connected to each other by transverse pillows; axles with wheels are attached to the latter.
Military carts* for transporting essential items travel along with the troops, forming a convoy of the 1st category; this includes: 1) charging boxes, single-horse shell and paired cartridge gigs (ammunition supplies), 2) military tool carts* (travelling forge, tools for horseshoes), 3) pharmacy gig; 4) hospital line and 5) officer's gig.

Elizaveta Petrovna's winter cart. Moscow, 1730s.

“The winter cart was made in Moscow by the French master Jean Michel in 1732. Two famous events in the history of the Russian state are associated with this crew. It is known that from 1727 to 1732 the imperial court was constantly located in the Kremlin, and Moscow again became the capital of Russia for these short five years. But in 1733, Empress Anna Ioannovna decided to return the court to St. Petersburg, and, probably, it was for this historical move that the winter cart was made. However, on the walls and doors of the cart is the monogram of another empress - Elizabeth Petrovna. It reminds us that in this carriage in 1742 the daughter of Peter I came to Moscow for her coronation.
The journey took only three days. The wagon, or as it was called the “winter line,” could easily accommodate ten people and was heated along the way with silver braziers filled with coal.
The windows and doors of the cart are covered with narrow plates of glass. The walls are decorated with ornamental paintings with attributes of state power. The runners are decorated with large figures of sea animals. In the form of the carriage, although to a small extent, one can trace the inherent Baroque love for the picturesque silhouette.”

Winter cart (model) Height - 185 mm, length - 450 mm.

Summer “funny” carriage

A miniature summer carriage made in Moscow in 1690-1692, with a delicate gold pattern on a soft blue background, looks like an elegant toy. “Poteshnaya” was the name given to carriages that were intended for entertainment. According to the “Inventory of the Tsar’s Stable Treasury,” the carriage belonged to two-year-old Tsarevich Alexei, the son of Peter I. Despite its belonging to toys, the carriage was made according to all the rules and with all the subtleties of a complex technical solution. It has a device for turning - a “swan neck” - and a turning circle. The “amusing” carriage is in no way inferior to real carriages in its refined form and subtlety of decoration, which emphasizes the high social status of its little owner.

BERLINE type carriage

The elegant four-seater Berlina was used for important ceremonial trips of Catherine II. It was made by the famous St. Petersburg master of German origin Johann Conrad Buckendahl in 1769 and equipped with the latest structural and technical details of that time - vertical and horizontal leaf springs. Carved gilded decor adorns the cornice, slopes and platbands. The windows and the upper half of the doors are covered with mirror glass. On the front and rear of the mill and on the wheels, gilded carvings almost completely hide the structural details. It is no coincidence that this particular carriage served for ceremonial trips of the Empress and the court.

Kolymaga

Kolymaga is a type of carriage widespread in Russia and Western Europe since the 16th century, with an almost quadrangular body on a high axle. This four-seater rattletrap was made by craftsmen in the 1640s, which is reflected in both the form and decoration. National originality was especially clearly reflected in the decor of the rattlesnake. The body of a strict silhouette is covered with crimson velvet and decorated with a pattern of squares filled the entire surface, lined with gilded copper studs with convex caps. In the center of each square, an ornament in the shape of an eight-pointed star made of silver galloon, characteristic only of Russian crews of that time. The combination of crimson velvet with silver and gold creates a surprisingly harmonious and festive appearance of the carriage, which is complemented by mica windows decorated with openwork overlays in the form of stars and double-headed eagles.

Interior decoration is not inferior in its luxury to the exterior - the upholstery of the walls and seats is made of expensive Turkish gold velvet, which was loved in Rus' for its extraordinary splendor of the pattern. The first owner of the crew was the Bryansk headman, a citizen of the Russian state, Francis Lesnovolsky. In all likelihood, he received it as a reward “by the personal decree of the Great Sovereign.” Another owner of the rattletrap was the boyar Nikita Ivanovich Romanov, who played a significant role at the court of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich.

Winter "amusing" cart

The Winter Fun Cart is a unique carriage created in Moscow in 1689-1692, the likes of which are not found in any museum in the world. The cart is a “room” with small windows and fairly wide doors on runners for ease of movement in the snow. The “amusing” cart served for games and fun for the young children of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, brother and co-ruler of Peter I. The shape of the body retains the ancient traditional shape - a strict and clear silhouette and rectangular outlines. However, it is decorated very picturesquely in accordance with the Baroque style fashionable at that time. The leather upholstery was made by craftsmen from the Moscow Kremlin. An embossed gilded relief pattern of flowers and fruits covers the entire surface of the walls and doors. The elegant carriage was perfect for the winter fun of the royal children and at the same time corresponded to the high status of the owners, which was emphasized by the sophistication of expensive decoration and high craftsmanship.

Armouries

The Armory Chamber's carriage collection is a pearl among museum collections.

The collection of carriages stored in the Armory Chamber has no analogues in other collections; it allows us to trace the development of carriage business in Russia and Western Europe. The value of the collection lies in the fact that the crews have not undergone major alterations, the ownership of the crews and the names of their creators are known - I.K. Bukendahl, I.M. Goppenhaupt, N. Pino, F. Boucher, F. Caffieri. Based on the carriages from the Armory Chamber's collection, one can judge the changes in the shape, design and decoration of carriages during the 16th - 18th centuries.

The Armory Chamber's carriage collection is a pearl among museum collections. It has seventeen crews created in the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries by the best masters of Russia and Western Europe. The carriages were practically not altered. They represent such a significant branch of artistic craft as carriage making, without studying which it is impossible to comprehend the artistic culture of Russia and Europe of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The crews of those times were not just an elite form of transport. For the most part, these are monuments of art, which organically combine wood carving, painting, casting, artistic leather processing, jewelry craftsmanship and even architecture.

Summer stroller
A summer stroller in the shape of an Italian gondola was made in England in the 70s of the 18th century. It was presented by Count G. Orlov to Empress Catherine II. The stroller does not have doors; they are replaced by a folding front part of the body. Gilded carved oak and laurel branches and garlands of flowers frame the body of the stroller.
The front of the stroller is decorated with carved figures of eagles with outstretched wings. At the back are figures of horsemen in helmets and chain mail, already created by Russian masters, with spears in their hands. The carving, covered with thick gilding, gives the impression of metal casting. On the walls of the carriage are images of ancient gods. On the sides are Amphitrite and Fortune, on the back wall is Apollo among the muses. This carriage can be considered one of the best works of world carriage art.

Kolymaga
An English carriage made at the end of the 16th century - a gift from the English king James I to Boris Godunov in 1603. The most ancient crew of our collection. The carriage is still simple in shape, its design and technical structure are imperfect, it does not have a turning circle. To turn the carriage around, a fairly large area was required, and when making a sharp turn, the rear wheels had to be lifted by hand. The carriage does not have room for the coachman; the horses were led by the bridle or the coachman sat astride the first, leading horse. This type of carriage - open, without springs, without a turning circle - was called rattling carriages in Russia. The carriage is interesting due to its artistic design - high-relief wood carvings depicting scenes of the struggle of Christians with Muslims and scenes of hunting.

Berlin carriage
The most advanced carriage in the collection is the four-seater ceremonial carriage.
Made in St. Petersburg by master Johann Conrad Buckendaal in 1769 for Catherine II.
The carriage has both vertical and horizontal springs.

Coach
The carriage is closed, double, coupe type. The body is suspended on long straps. The carriage was made by Viennese craftsmen by order of the Russian court in 1740. Carved decor occupies the main place in the artistic decoration of the crew. The carving is tinted and gilded. The walls and doors of the body are decorated with paintings in golden-green tones on mythological subjects.

Coach
The carriage is closed, double, coupe type. The body is suspended on long straps. Made by Viennese craftsmen in 1741 - 1742.
The artistic design and technical data are typical for ceremonial carriages of the 1740s.
The carriage is covered with thick, gilded carvings in the Rococo style with allegorical and mythological subjects.
It was ordered specifically for the coronation ceremony of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

Coach
The carriage was beautifully made in 1746 by the Berlin master Johann Michael Goppenhaupt. The carriage gives the impression of lightness and grace thanks to the skillful wood carvings depicting laurel leaves, curls, shells, and sculptures of mythological deities. The body shape and decor clearly show the features of the Rococo style. Its body is suspended on six belts, has springs and a turning circle. The carriage was presented by Frederick II to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. It was used during coronation celebrations throughout the 18th - 19th centuries, so the crew was renewed many times

"Coure" type carriage
The "coure" type carriage was made in St. Petersburg in 1739 for Empress Anna Ioannovna.
Baroque scrolls and shells are combined with ancient Russian patterned rosettes and double-headed eagles.
The edges of the body walls, curved cornices, window and door frames are decorated with very fine gold carvings.
In terms of its technical solution, the carriage resembles French-made carriages, but mirror glass is already inserted into the windows.

Winter cart "amusing"
The cart is small on runners. There are no such carriages in any museum collection in the world. The body of the cart retains the ancient traditional shape. The walls are upholstered in gilded embossed leather, which is abundantly covered with floral ornaments, which include images of putti, exotic birds, eagles, and figures of running animals. The leather, like the carriage itself, was made in Moscow in the Kremlin workshops. Copper nails with large heads are used to decorate the cart in Russian traditions. Mica is fixed in tin framed windows. The cart served for games and amusements of the young children of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, half-brother and co-ruler of Peter I.

Summer cart "amusing"
It has an elegant baroque shape. The walls are upholstered in blue embossed leather, which is abundantly covered with gilded floral patterns, which include images of putti, exotic birds, eagles, and figures of running animals. The leather, like the carriage itself, was made in Moscow in the Kremlin workshops. The technical design of the carriage was quite advanced for that time. It has a device for turning a curved swan neck beam above the turntable. Copper nails with large heads were used to decorate the cart. They secure the leather to the body and trim the frame bindings. The windows have tin frames and mica. The cart belonged to the son of Peter I - Alexei Petrovich.

Garden stroller
Open garden double stroller of Empress Anna Ioannovna. Documents from the Armory Chamber archive contain information that the stroller was made for Empress Anna Ioannovna in Moscow. The decoration, quite modest for imperial carriages, the shape of the wheels with wide rims covered with iron, is explained by the fact that it was used for walks in the palace parks. The shape of the body and its paintings are exquisite. On the walls of the carriage body there are images: the state coat of arms, the monogram of Empress Anna Ioannovna and a female figure, in whose face and figure one can discern a portrait resemblance to the Empress.

January 25, Saturday
13:00 Plyushchikha and Deviche Pole
Meeting point: Smolenskaya metro station (blue), at the entrance to the Smolensky grocery store (Azbuka Vkusa): exit onto the Garden Ring, walk left 40 meters
The tour is led by Alexander Usoltsev

13:00 Sokolniki: outside the park
Meeting point: Sokolniki metro station, at the metro exit
The tour is led by Alexander Ivanov

January 26, Sunday
12:00 Myasnitskaya lanes: from Masons to Armenians
Meeting point: m. Chistye Prudy, near the monument to Griboyedov
The tour is led by Alexander Ivanov

14:00 From the Red Gate to Chistye Prudy
Meeting point: metro station "Krasnye Vorota", exit 2, from the high-rise building, at the exit from the metro
The tour is led by Alexander Usoltsev

Thursday, March 29, 2012

When we read books about Moscow, we constantly see cab drivers mentioned there - vaneks, reckless drivers. Who were they? In addition, there are many means of transportation - strollers, chaises, droshky, calibers, cabs, and so on. How were they all different from each other? Let's try to figure this out and trace the history of private cab service in pre-revolutionary Moscow.

Urban transport in Russia in past centuries was in the hands of cab drivers. A cabman is a driver who works for hire. Once upon a time, his earnings were profitable and, compared to other professions, quite significant. But little by little the tram, car and bus drove him out of the city. In Moscow in 1645 there were about 2 thousand, in 1775 - 5 thousand, in 1838 - 8 thousand, in 1895 - 19 thousand, in 1914 - 16 thousand, in 1928 - 5 thousand, in 1939 - 60 thousand (!).

As a rule, cab drivers were people from the lower classes - mostly former peasants who went to the city to earn money, but never found a place in factories, factories, trading enterprises, retired soldiers, etc.
There was a great demand for them, so it was necessary to introduce parking lots, license plates, an ordering system and tariffs. There were no uniform tariffs for paying for the services of cab drivers, and everyone asked the passenger as much as he wanted and then they bargained.

Rules were prescribed for all cab drivers, for violation of which penalties were applied:
— The cab driver had to have his own license plate.
— The license plate should have been nailed in the appropriate place.
— Stopping only at certain places.
— The crew had to be clean and unbroken.
— The cab driver’s caftan had to be in decent shape.
In addition, they had to undergo a police inspection of the crew, after which, if everything was in order, certain seals were placed.
There were also age restrictions for cab drivers - from 18 to 65 years. A special line meant that the driver must be sober. This requirement was not met everywhere, especially in winter.

B. Kustodiev. "Carrier (reckless driver)"

Types of cab drivers
City cab drivers were divided into vaneks, reckless drivers and something in between - lively ones. Vanka was a semi-impoverished peasant who came to work in the city, usually in the winter, as Nekrasov put it, on a “torn and starved nag” and with the appropriate cart and harness. The reckless driver, on the contrary, had a good, playful horse and a smart carriage.

Vanka
The “Vankas” were the most powerless; there were always plenty of people willing to make money at their expense. The “traditions” of the modern traffic police did not arise out of nowhere. The writer of everyday life in Moscow, Evgeniy Ivanov, in his book “Apt Moscow Word,” cites the sorrowful exclamation of a “vanka” cab driver: “Every day is a city expense. Here are some heavenly statues!” A significant part of the “vanka’s” income was handed over daily to the owner of the cab with whom they were stationed. Moreover, the amount was usually fixed. The arrears were registered with the cab driver, and he often returned to his native village not with a profit, but with debts.

Reckless
At the other pole of the cab driver hierarchy were the “reckless drivers.” They had good, well-groomed horses, varnished carriages, often with tires. Reckless people, as a rule, worked for themselves, counting on wealthy clients. Officers, gentlemen with ladies, rich merchants, etc. rode “reckless cars”. They were also hired by various adventurers and rogues who needed to “show off” or quickly leave somewhere. The “reckless drivers” appeared on the streets by lunchtime, but worked all night. Theaters, restaurants, hotels - these were the main points where they waited for their clients. For a “fun” trip, the “reckless driver” asked for at least 3 rubles, while the “vanka” took 30-70 kopecks for the trip. The “reckless” could afford to choose a rider, but his earnings were significant; rich gentlemen who left for a party with actresses after the theater did not skimp, and often rented a carriage for the whole night. Carriages with a convertible top were valued; in them, tipsy gentlemen and ladies could not be afraid of immodest glances. Among the cab drivers, the “darlings” or “pigeons with ringing”, who had melodious bells on their carriages, were considered a kind of aristocracy. And their name comes from the famous coachman’s cry: “Eh, pigeons!”

Clothes and uniforms of cab drivers

The costumes of cab drivers were established by orders of the city government. They wore an awkward caftan “on the forfeits,” that is, with two gathers at the back, belted with a stacked belt, and a poyark hat with a buckle, which they inherited from the old guild styles of the early nineteenth century. Reckless drivers loved to be dandy, trimming their uniforms with piping from expensive fox fur and dressing up in winter instead of the usual lambskin hat for the profession in a real “beaver”.
The drays had Russian shirts, vests, large aprons and caps in the summer, and in the winter the same hats and “spinzhaki”, or padded jackets. The oldest suit was a caftan, but with an incredibly stuffed hemp and a back “lined” with fur longitudinal furrows. From such an outfit, the cab driver who came from the box looked like some kind of phenomenon of Hottentot build.
The license plate was previously worn on the back, near the gate, and only later began to be nailed to the front and rear of the carriage.

B. Kustodiev “Carriers”, 1920.

Types of crews
Crews were used in various forms: carriages and carriages of several types, chaises, droshky, rulers, etc. In Moscow they even introduced by order of Governor General D.V. Golitsyn a certain type of crew, the so-called “caliber”. But this innovation was not widely used.

Strollers
The carriages were quite simple and lightweight. Unlike carriages, their body was open, but with a folding top. Carriages were usually harnessed by two or three horses, but very rich people, like Troekurov in Dubrovsky, Andrei Bolkonsky in War and Peace, or the governor’s daughter in Dead Souls, rode six in a carriage.
Gogol's story “The Stroller” is well known, in which guests discover the owner hiding from them in his new stroller. In Chekhov's story “Enemies,” the difference between a carriage and a carriage serves as an important characteristic of the social and moral differences between the characters. A rich landowner picks up a doctor in a wheelchair. When it turns out that the call was false and unnecessary, the doctor, whose son has just died, expresses his indignation to the landowner, after which he orders the footman: “Go, tell this gentleman to give him a carriage, and tell him to lay down a carriage for me.” The carriage emphasized the material superiority of the landowner over the doctor.

Stroller

Varieties of smart city strollers with an opening top were the phaeton and the landau.
Lando (via French landau from German Landau(er)) is a light four-seater carriage with a roof that folds forward and backward. The name comes from the name of the city of Landau in Germany, where carts of this type were invented in the 18th century.
Comfortable landaulets with springs and sometimes pneumatic tires have always been considered luxurious, “ladies’” carriages. They are still used as fiacres and on ceremonial occasions.
Passenger seats are arranged in two rows facing each other.
The design of the landau did not allow passengers to control the horse and therefore a coachman was required.
Both soft rotating roofs and hard removable elements were used.

Okay with the roof folded and folded.

Chaises
A britzka is a light four-wheeled carriage known since the 17th century for transporting passengers. The body could be either open or closed and was mounted on two elliptical springs. The top was made of leather, wicker or wood, and sometimes it was insulated; There were models without a top.
Although the chaise was quite light, it could easily withstand long trips - as can be judged by the chaise in which Chichikov rode around Rus'. In the Chichikov chaise, the top of the body, that is, a kind of tent over the rider, was “closed against the rain with leather curtains with two round windows designated for viewing road views.” The footman Petrushka sat on the box next to the coachman Selifan. This britzka was “quite beautiful, with springs.”

Britzka.

A chaise was harnessed to one or a pair of horses. The coachman could sit on the box or next to the passenger.
For a long time, the antediluvian springless chaises did not disappear - the boy Yegorushka rides in this one in Chekhov’s “Steppe”.
Nowadays, a chaise is a simple one-horse light cart.

Droshky
The droshky got its name from the drozhki described above - long bars connecting both axles. Initially, it was a very primitive cart: you had to sit on top or sideways on a board placed on top. Drozhki of this kind were sometimes called shakers. Later, the droshky was improved and acquired springs and a body. Such droshky was sometimes called a stroller, due to its similarity. But neither the old nor the more advanced droshky were used for driving over particularly long distances. It was predominantly an urban crew. The mayor in “The Inspector General” goes to the hotel in a droshky, Bobchinsky is ready to run after him like a cockerel, curious to look at the inspector. In the next act, the mayor rides in a droshky with Khlestakov, but there is not enough room for Dobchinsky... Gogol's old-world landowners had a droshky with a huge leather apron, from which the air was filled with strange sounds.

Droshky.

Flyovers
The city's cab driver's droshky was called proletka and soon shortened its name to the word "PROLETKA". Such a light two-seater carriage with springs and a lift-up top could be seen in the cities of the USSR back in the 1940s. The expression “to ride in a cab” meant “to ride on a cab driver’s carriage”, in winter - on a cab driver’s sleigh of a similar design.

Cab driver on a cab. 1898

One of the last flyovers, 1920s.

Calibers
Spring carriages did not appear until the 1840s. Before that, cab drivers had caliber droshkys, or simply caliber. On such tracks, men rode on horseback, women sat sideways, since it was a simple board laid on both axles, with four primitive round springs. The single caliber was called a guitar - due to the similarity of the shape of the seat. The cab drivers were waiting for their riders at the exchanges - specially designated paid parking lots. Describing a St. Petersburg morning in “Eugene Onegin,” Pushkin does not miss this detail: “...A cabman is pulling to the stock exchange...”

Single caliber.

Rulers
A ruler was originally a simple long droshky with a board for sitting sideways or on top, and if the board was wide enough, on both sides with their backs to each other. The same one-horse carriage is called a long-shaking carriage in Saltykov-Shchedrin’s Poshekhonskaya Antiquity, and in L. Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina it is called a roller, on which Levin’s guests go hunting.
Later, the ruler began to be called an urban or suburban multi-seat carriage with benches on both sides; passengers separated by a partition sat sideways in the direction of travel, with their backs to each other. City routes were equipped with rain canopies.

Line in Moscow. 1890s.

According to the number of horses of city drivers, carts can be divided into those driven by one horse, twos and threes. Fours, sixes and eights were used mainly outside the city.

Troika
Troika is an old Russian horse team. The troika was invented for fast driving over long distances.

This is the only multi-gait harness in the world. The root horse - the central horse - should walk at a fast, clear trot, and the trailing horses - the horses on the side - should gallop. At the same time, a very high speed of 45-50 km/h develops.

The mechanism of the troika is that the root horse, walking at a wide, sweeping trot, is, as it were, “carried” by galloping harnesses, fastened to the root horse with lines. Thanks to this, all three horses tire more slowly, but maintain a high speed.

Troika appeared and received its current name about 200 years ago. According to the rules that existed at that time, when transporting passengers in postal wagons, it was possible to harness three horses only if there were three people. Two or one had to ride a pair of horses. Bells and bells were only allowed to be hung on postal troikas and courier carriers carrying important state dispatches. In tsarist times, in addition to important gentlemen, troikas were used by postmen (postal troika), firefighters and anyone who needed fast speed for a long period of time. Often troikas were harnessed on days of weddings and other festive celebrations, when the coachmen could “go wild” and let even a root horse gallop.
The usual horses for the troika were small and unprepossessing, but very hardy Vyatka horses. Richer people got a trio of stately and large Oryol trotters. The best three is a three, where all the horses are matched to the same color, and the horseman is noticeably larger in stature and has a higher harness.

And now, in conclusion, interesting stories from newspaper chronicles, various incidents with cab drivers that occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century.

January 03 (December 21), 1902:
Moscow cab drivers, whose stock exchange is located on Dmitrovka in the evenings, recently celebrated, and as they say with great “pomp,” the anniversary of their colleague Efim Bystryakov. The original hero of the day is 74 years old and has been traveling through Moscow streets without any break for 60 years. A much significant feature of the venerable driver is the fact that during his many years of work as a cab driver he did not drink a single glass of vodka. Bystryakov amassed a small fortune for himself, in the form of a small estate near Moscow, which is about 30 years old. ago it was purchased for 1,500 rubles, and now it is valued at 15,000 rubles.

June 07 (May 25), 1911 June 07 (May 25), 1911. From near Moscow.
Tsaritsyn cab drivers, having agreed among themselves, set extremely high prices for travel from the station to the dachas. The summer residents filed a complaint with the local improvement society. The latter filed a petition with the district zemstvo government, asking it to establish a tax for unbridled cab drivers. This petition met with sympathy. In addition to Tsaritsyn, the administration plans to introduce the same fee in other dacha areas.

Murder of a driver by a sentry. January 17 (04), 1911
At 3 o'clock in the morning on January 1 in the Kremlin, at the main entrance of the Kremlin Palace, the grenadier of the 10th company of the 4th Nesvizh Grenadier Regiment Vasily Khlapov, who was standing there on guard, killed a passenger cab driver with a rifle shot. Mikhailovsky U., Ivan Semenov Kiselev. 28 l., under the following circumstances. The latter, driving along Dvortsovy Proezd, stopped at the main entrance, got off the sleigh and, being drunk, began to ask the sentry for money for vodka. The sentry asked the cab driver to move away from him, warning that he would shoot. Kiselev did not comply with the demand and began to take the rifle away from the sentry. During the struggle, the latter began to blow signal whistles, calling for help, but they were not heard. Seeing that there was no way to get rid of the drunk driver, Khlapov warned three more times that he would shoot, and when Kiselev continued the attack and struggle, intending to grab the rifle, Khlapov fired and killed the driver outright.

Robbed by a cab driver. January 6 (December 24), 1911
On December 22, at 7 o’clock in the evening, who came from the provinces to Moscow to buy goods, Podolsky meshch. Stepan Fedotov dozed off on a cab and woke up near the Annenhof Grove, where it turned out that the cab driver had taken his wallet with 600 rubles, a passport and various bills, pushed the sleepy Fedotov off the sleigh and disappeared.

“Exemplary” street barriers. April 09 (March 27), 1910
March 25, at 10 pm, passenger cab driver. Ivlev, driving with E.N. Opochinin along Dolgorukovsky Lane, ran over a wooden box that covered a large hole formed as a result of a collapse. The box flew to the side, the horse fell into the pit, the carriage overturned on Mr. Opochinin, who flew out of it, and crushed Ivlev. With severe bruises to the body, both victims were sent to the emergency room of the Tver police station.

Avenger cab driver. July 01 (June 18), 1909.
Yesterday, at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, on the corner of Tverskaya and Leontievsky lanes, random passers-by witnessed an unusual incident: contrary to established practice, it was not a car that ran into a cab driver, but a cabman that ran into a car turning from Tverskaya into Leontievsky lane.
The hit of the dashing cab driver was so strong that the glass in the car shattered and the tires were damaged. The driver escaped safely; neither himself nor the carriage were injured.
A crowd of curious people gathered at the scene of the incident. Witties and jokes were heard at the address of the ill-fated car.
The cab driver was unexpectedly delighted:
- You can’t all push our brother!
Someone from the crowd said:
- Avenger cab driver!
Policemen rushed to the scene:
- Gentlemen, leave! Please don't stop!
The gentlemen dispersed and the police wrote down the numbers of the cab driver and the car. The latter puffed and moved to the laughter of passers-by.

March 31 (18), 1909
A six-year-old boy, Sergei Surkov, was playing along Babyegorodsky Lane and decided to go for a ride. A cab driver drove by. The boy grabbed onto the rear axle of the carriage. At the turn, Surkov's frantic scream was heard.
The driver stopped. The unfortunate boy was taken off the carriage with a broken leg.
He was sent to the Morozov hospital for treatment.

Text and selection of old materials: Alexander Ivanov

Wheeled vehicles already existed in prehistoric times; they are mentioned in the most ancient sources as well-known objects. Thus, in one of the most ancient verses of the Vedas, a comparison is used: “just as a wheel rolls behind a horse, so both worlds follow you.”
In Asia, carts have been used for a long time, along with riding and pack animals. The Greeks in Homer's time used chariots. Details of the design of ancient carts remain unknown; only the external shape of two-wheeled war chariots is well depicted in many surviving bas-reliefs and other images.

UNGEWITTER, HUGO (1869-c.1944)
A Noblewoman Alighting her Carriage, signed and dated 1906.

There is no doubt, in view of many places of ancient authors, that wheeled carts have long been used to transport goods. Thus, Homer says that Nausicaä asked her father for a cart to take her and her friends to the seashore to wash their clothes. Carts of this kind came with two and four wheels: Pliny attributes their invention to the Phrygians. The wheels of such a “plaustrum” were firmly mounted on axles, which rotated with them, like our railway cars, in bearings fixedly attached to the body. Such carts, very clumsy, still exist on the island of Formosa.

TSERETELLI, ZURAB (B. 1934).

The ancient Persians had a properly organized postal race; royal messengers quickly carried orders in other ancient states, but more details are known about the properly organized transportation of passengers on horseback only from the time of the Romans. This type of carriage was maintained by private people (crew; "cisium") and was two-wheeled, with a drawbar, like a convertible, but without springs, with a seat suspended by straps. They climbed into it from the side of the horses, and not from the back, as in chariots; images of cysium are already found on Etruscan vases. They traveled in such carriages very quickly: according to Suetonius, the emperor traveled in the light “meritoria vehicula” for distances of up to 150 centuries. per day.

V. Serov. Odysseus and Nausicaa

We have much more information about the ceremonial carriages of the Romans. Among the ancients, in general, the use of ceremonial chariots was the privilege of high-ranking officials and priests; Images of gods were also carried in special chariots during processions. Private individuals arrogated to themselves this right only in times of decline of morals, and under the empire they decorated their carriages with all possible luxury. The most ancient type is "arcera", it is mentioned in the laws of the twelve tables; it was a four-wheeled open cart; for women it was made on two wheels. Equally ancient are the stretchers, which were later given such a luxurious design that Caesar considered it necessary to issue a law limiting this luxury.

Engraving of a stagecoach in the black and red colors of the Post Office in the vicinity of Newmarket, Suffolk in 1827. A guard is visible from behind.

Somewhat later, the carpentum was invented, a two-wheeled carriage with a semi-cylindrical lid, and the carruca, the ancestor of modern carriages, a four-wheeled carriage with a covered body raised above the ride on four posts; in the back there was a seat for two persons, and the driver sat in front, below the gentlemen, or walked next to him. From the Gauls the Romans borrowed a tarataika with a body woven from willow - "sirpea", and from the inhabitants of the northern coast of Europe - a chariot "essedum", which was entered from the front; it served for both peaceful and military purposes.

Salvador Dali - The Phantom Carriage

During the era of migration of peoples and at the beginning of the Middle Ages, the use of a carriage was considered a sign of effeminacy; travel was made on horseback, and clergy and women rode donkeys. Chroniclers of this era only very rarely mention crews. Thus, Egingard narrates that the Merovingian king Chilperic rode everywhere in a Roman carpentum drawn by oxen; English Bishop St. Erkenwald in the 7th century. traveled and preached in a wheeled cart, as he was old and weak. Only after the Crusades did the fashion for carriages begin to revive, but they were allowed only for special occasions, for high-ranking officials, and ordinary people were prohibited from using them.

"The Arrival of the Mail Coach" by Boilly Louis-Leopold

A cart is the most general collective name for various vehicles driven by the muscular power of animals, regardless of the design features, area and purpose of use.

According to the area of ​​application, carts are divided into passenger and cargo (previously there were also military carts), according to the number of wheels - into two-wheeled (single-axle) and four-wheeled (two-axle), and also without wheels - on runners.

Willem de Zwart (1862-1931) - Carriages Waiting (Unknown Year)

The carrying capacity of the cart can reach up to 750 kg (for single-axle ones) and up to two tons (for two-axle ones).

Modern carts are often equipped with pneumatic tires, and sometimes also with pneumatic or hydraulic brakes.

PASSENGER CARRIAGES.

Crew types.

A carriage is a closed passenger carriage with springs. Initially, the body was suspended on belts, then springs began to be used for suspension (from the beginning of the 18th century), and from the beginning of the 19th century, springs began to be used. They were most often used for personal use, although from the late Middle Ages in Europe they began to be used also as public transport. An example is the stagecoach, omnibus and charabanc. The most common type of stagecoach can be considered a mail coach.

The word “carriage” came to Russia along with German carriages, when, from the middle of the 17th century, they began to be imported en masse by German merchants and became increasingly popular among the Moscow nobility. It is most likely that the word was used earlier along with other words common at that time (for example, “cracker”), and the word was also used in Ukrainian, Old Church Slavonic and Polish.

(Borrowed in the middle of the 17th century from the Polish language, where kareta< итал. caretta, суф. производного от carro «воз» (из лат. carrus «повозка на четырех колесах»)). Переход с коня (для мужчин) и колымаги (для женщин) на карету для обоих полов символизировал допетровскую европеизацию русского дворянства.

Dormez is a large carriage for long trips with sleeping places.
DORMEZ (translated from French as “sleeping”) was a spacious carriage with sleeping places, intended for long trips. L.N. had such a carriage, inherited from his parents. Tolstoy, as his eldest son recalled, was pulled by six horses. The road carriages had VAZHI, or VASHI, at the top - boxes for luggage, and at the back there was a HUMP, which also served to place luggage.

Pannemaker Adolf. “Dust rose from under the dormez and hid the baby”: Il. to the poem by T.G. Shevchenko “Kobzar” (translation by N.V. Gerbel). Engraving from fig. N.N. Karazin. 19th century

A stagecoach is a large, multi-seat passenger or mail carriage, widely used in the 19th century.

Military carts* - assigned to field troops for transporting military supplies, spare items and tools necessary to maintain equipment in good condition on the march and in battle, provisions, fodder, office supplies, cash treasury, sick and wounded.
In general terms, they consist of a course on which the body or box of the cart is mounted; the passage is formed from a main frame made up of several longitudinal beds connected to each other by transverse pillows; axles with wheels are attached to the latter.
Military carts* for transporting essential items travel along with the troops, forming a convoy of the 1st category; this includes: 1) charging boxes, single-horse shell and paired cartridge gigs (ammunition supplies), 2) military tool carts* (travelling forge, tools for horseshoes), 3) pharmacy gig; 4) hospital line and 5) officer's gig.

Winter cart

This magnificent carriage-shaped carriage on long runners was made by master Jean Michel in Moscow in 1732. It was intended for traveling long distances in winter. It was on it that in February 1742, the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth, hurried to Moscow from St. Petersburg for her coronation. The luxurious cart was decorated with gilded carvings and sculptural details, the roof was topped with balusters, and the walls were decorated with paintings of double-headed eagles and other attributes of state power. The comfortable and beautiful cart was made with truly royal luxury. It still impresses with its splendor of decoration and elegance of forms.
Height - 185 mm, length - 450 mm.

Summer “funny” carriage

A miniature summer carriage made in Moscow in 1690-1692, with a delicate gold pattern on a soft blue background, looks like an elegant toy. “Poteshnaya” was the name given to carriages that were intended for entertainment. According to the “Inventory of the Tsar’s Stable Treasury,” the carriage belonged to two-year-old Tsarevich Alexei, the son of Peter I. Despite its belonging to toys, the carriage was made according to all the rules and with all the subtleties of a complex technical solution. It has a device for turning - a “swan neck” - and a turning circle. The “amusing” carriage is in no way inferior to real carriages in its refined form and subtlety of decoration, which emphasizes the high social status of its little owner.

BERLINE type carriage

The elegant four-seater Berlina was used for important ceremonial trips of Catherine II. It was made by the famous St. Petersburg master of German origin Johann Conrad Buckendahl in 1769 and equipped with the latest structural and technical details of that time - vertical and horizontal leaf springs. Carved gilded decor adorns the cornice, slopes and platbands. The windows and the upper half of the doors are covered with mirror glass. On the front and rear of the mill and on the wheels, gilded carvings almost completely hide the structural details. It is no coincidence that this particular carriage served for ceremonial trips of the Empress and the court.

Kolymaga

Kolymaga is a type of carriage widespread in Russia and Western Europe since the 16th century, with an almost quadrangular body on a high axle. This four-seater rattletrap was made by craftsmen in the 1640s, which is reflected in both the form and decoration. National originality was especially clearly reflected in the decor of the rattlesnake. The body of a strict silhouette is covered with crimson velvet and decorated with a pattern of squares filled the entire surface, lined with gilded copper studs with convex caps. In the center of each square, an ornament in the shape of an eight-pointed star made of silver galloon, characteristic only of Russian crews of that time. The combination of crimson velvet with silver and gold creates a surprisingly harmonious and festive appearance of the carriage, which is complemented by mica windows decorated with openwork overlays in the form of stars and double-headed eagles.

The interior decoration is not inferior in its luxury to the exterior - the upholstery of the walls and seats is made of expensive Turkish gold velvet, which was loved in Rus' for its extraordinary splendor of the pattern. The first owner of the crew was the Bryansk headman, a citizen of the Russian state, Francis Lesnovolsky. In all likelihood, he received it as a reward “by the personal decree of the Great Sovereign.” Another owner of the rattletrap was the boyar Nikita Ivanovich Romanov, who played a significant role at the court of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich.

Winter "amusing" cart

The Winter Fun Cart is a unique carriage created in Moscow in 1689-1692, the likes of which are not found in any museum in the world. The cart is a “room” with small windows and fairly wide doors on runners for ease of movement in the snow. The “amusing” cart served for games and fun for the young children of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, brother and co-ruler of Peter I. The shape of the body retains the ancient traditional shape - a strict and clear silhouette and rectangular outlines. However, it is decorated very picturesquely in accordance with the Baroque style fashionable at that time. The leather upholstery was made by craftsmen from the Moscow Kremlin. An embossed gilded relief pattern of flowers and fruits covers the entire surface of the walls and doors. The elegant carriage was perfect for the winter fun of the royal children and at the same time corresponded to the high status of the owners, which was emphasized by the sophistication of expensive decoration and high craftsmanship.

In Russia XVII-XIX centuries. - large carriage for long trips

The first letter is "r"

Second letter "s"

Third letter "d"

The last letter of the letter is "n"

Answer to the question "In Russia in the 17th-19th centuries - a large carriage for long trips", 6 letters:
sob

Alternative questions in crossword puzzles for the word rydvan

Bulky cart for transporting sheaves, rattling cart

Bulky carriage

Clumsy carriage

m. old carriage, large carriage; now comical. in the same meaning or a fire. thief. sar. oder, sheaf cart, long cart, with a high, sloping body, for transporting sheaves; also a ternary cart of cabmen. Rydvanchik? lower bell, door bell, table bell

Jalopy

Antique carriage " long distance»

Old bulky cart, jalopy

Large traveling carriage

Definition of the word rydvan in dictionaries

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I.Ozhegov, N.Yu.Shvedova. The meaning of the word in the dictionary Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language. S.I.Ozhegov, N.Yu.Shvedova.
-a, m. In the old days: a large road carriage. An old cumbersome cart, jalopy (colloquial disdain).

New explanatory and word-formative dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova. The meaning of the word in the dictionary New explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.
m. An old large carriage for long trips, which was harnessed to several horses. local A long cart for transporting sheaves and hay. trans. decomposition What? bulky.

Examples of the use of the word rydvan in literature.

And Joanna begins to sing into the phone the song that Boda heard before: Our sob miles along the country roads ahead, My friend swears at me that it’s raining.

By the evening of the next day a heavy cart, more like sob, placed on skids, crawled with difficulty up a steep ascent into the mountainous part of Tobolsk.

Listen, I'm riding in this Rydvan not as a driver, but for protection from bandits, I look like a second driver snoring in the cab.

However, these carriages, despite their dilapidation, evoked respect among the spectators who came running to look at the theater audience, and, placed in a row on the square, these Rydvany and they really had a very dignified appearance.

I once traveled in a grain wagon - antediluvian Rydvan with double doors, with a mattress on the floor.