A Berlin carriage

Carriage

A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...

 was a type of covered, fast and light, four-wheeled, travelling carriage with two interior seats and a separate hooded rear seat for a footman

Footman

A footman is a male servant, notably as domestic staff.-Word history:The name derives from the attendants who ran beside or behind the carriages of aristocrats, many of whom were chosen for their physical attributes. They ran alongside the coach to make sure it was not overturned by such obstacles...

, detached from the body. It had a distinctive two-perch running gear and thoroughbrace suspension

Suspension (vehicle)

Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...

, with the body hung high between the perches by shafts to leather braces.

The Berlin was a more convenient method of transportation, being lighter and less likely to overturn than other carriages. A stirrup or footstool made boarding more convenient. Instead of side windows, there were hoods to let down in bad weather.

The carriage was designed around 1670 by a Piedmont

Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...

ese architect in the service of the Elector of Brandenburg. It took its name from Brandenburg

Brandenburg

Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...

's capital city (and now the capital of Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

), Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

, where it was first used and became fashionable in the late 17th and 18th centuries. It became popular in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in the 18th century after it was imported by a German officer.

Later, the term came to be used for an enclosed automobile

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 body having at the rear of the driver's seat a glass partition with usually one movable window.

External links

• Berlin (Carriage) - LoveToKnow 1911 1911 Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
• Berlin coach Clipart Educational Technology Clearinghouse, University of South Florida. Sketch.
• The Casanova Tour - by Pablo Günther - Travelling Carriages 2 - Casanova Magazine Illustrations and text.
• The Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages - Collection Database. Search berlin carriage, record type Objects (photo and text).
• MNC - Colecção: Berlindas National Coach Museum (Museu dos Coches), Lisbon
  Lisbon
  Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
  
  (Portugal). Illustrations and text.
• Музеи Московского Кремля Moscow Kremlin Museum. Photo.