In the literary works of Russian classics now and then there are words that have long gone down in history. So, the word "britchka" can be found in many imperishable works: Chichikov, the hero of "Dead Souls", rode such a wagon drawn by three horses, Bilibin from the four-volume book "War and Peace" also packed things into it, Shukshin's heroes traveled in the same way, Sholokhov and many other authors. This type of carriage is also mentioned in songs: a vivid example of this is "Brichka", a gypsy song.
So what is this wagon, and how does it differ from other modes of transport, such as carriages? Let's analyze what a chaise is, and let's try to establish the meaning of the word. Let's tell you what they are and how they differ.
Etymology of the word "chaise"
This type of horse-drawn transport was widespread in Europe in the 17th century. In Russia, such horse-drawn carts began to be actively used only from the 18th century. There are several versions about the origin of the word "chaise".
Yes, some specialistsclaim that the etymological source was a diminutive of the Polish word bryka, denoting a light open cart. Other scientists believe that this term owes its appearance in Russian to the Italian biroccio (two-wheeler), which later transformed into a chaise through the German birutsche (half-open light wagon).
What is this
The fact that a chaise is such a light horse-drawn vehicle used to transport people or goods is known to almost everyone. However, few people can answer this question in more detail.
It is today that we use cars for movement and travel, and our relatively narrow-minded ancestors actively used various horse-drawn carts. Carriages, tarantasses, dormes, carts - this is not a complete list of vehicles. Each of them had its own purpose: for comfortable movement around the city or traveling long distances, for noblemen and ordinary citizens, for transporting agricultural and postal goods or people. These horse-drawn carts were most actively used in the south and west of Russia, and in more snowy regions, light carts were more popular, in which the wheels could easily be replaced with skids.
What are the carriages
Due to the fact that the chaise was many times lighter and more comfortable than a bulky tarantass, it could be used both for short trips and for long trips. Conventionally, all wagons of this typecan be divided into three types: these are chaises with springs, simple springless and postal. In addition, the chaises could be either with a closed or an open body. The top of the body in closed chaises, as a rule, was made of leather or wood.
Polish carts with wicker bodies were very popular in Russia. For the cold season, it could be insulated, and in summer it could be removed or made reclining, like a convertible. As Gogol wrote, in Chichikov's britzka, the top of the body, which is a kind of tent, was "draped against the rain with leather curtains with two round windows." These windows were intended for admiring the scenery.
Although most historians define this mode of transport as a four-wheeled wagon, two-wheeled carts were also widespread, which were mostly used in the city. In addition, depending on the type of wagon, the coachman could sit both separately from the passengers, on the goats (for example, his footman Petrushka was located next to the driver Chichikov Selifan), and together with them. By the way, the famous English detective Sherlock Holmes also often used the English version of the chaise - cab.
Features of this mode of transport
Regardless of the type of cart and its purpose, all historical and literary descriptions of such carts state that their main feature was the unimaginable noise made during movement. So, in the works of Chekhov, the britzka tinkled and screeched with all its parts, rattled and rumbled at Sholokhov's, rattled ringingly at Serafimovich's. And David DavidovichBurliuk, a Russian artist and poet, in one of his poems, referring to a bird with not the most pleasant voice, wrote: "Like an old broken britzka in the steppe, your singing sounds, oh bird."
The appearance of the chaise
This light wagon consisted of two parts - a running gear and a fixed body attached to it. The chassis consisted of two or four wheels mounted in pairs on axles. In spring chaises, it was the rear part of the body that was attached to the wheels with two elliptical springs. Thanks to this, the ride in the carriage was more comfortable for passengers.
The bottom of the wagon was solid and, as a rule, made of wood, and the sides could be either completely closed or have lattice sheathing and were made of various materials.
In the back of a cart designed for the movement of people, both two (two-wheeled carts) and four passengers could sit.
Where can I see it?
And although in our time it is almost impossible to meet horse transport for a city dweller, carts are still used in villages and villages. In addition, there are museums that present both miniature copies of vehicles that have gone down in history, and full-scale exhibits. So, residents and guests of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region can look at the britzka and other carts of past centuries in the Museum of City Electric Transport or in the Museum "Station Master's House". There is a museum of carriages in Belarus, which also presents this species.horse-drawn transport. There is a similar museum in Hungary in the city of Keszthely.
Also, in many equestrian clubs in different cities of Russia and neighboring countries, riding services are provided on the transport of the past - if you wish, you can try yourself as a passenger in a carriage, phaeton, britzka or crew.
In Vladikavkaz there is a monument depicting Pushkin riding an ox cart.
Using the word "chaise" today
And although few of the younger generation know what the horse transport of the past looked like, the word "britchka" has not completely fallen out of use. Moreover, today it is called not only a horse-drawn cart drawn by one horse. Often this word is used to describe very old cars that should have been sent to a well-deserved rest a long time ago along with horse-drawn carts such as a tarantass, a scooper or a cart.
