Imperial Coach

The golden imperial carriage was the Coronation Coach of the imperial court in Vienna. The coach is kept in the corral (inventory number W 1).

History

Various legends after the imperial carriage from Spain or France should come. In fact, however, is the work of the Viennese master Franz Xaver Wagenschön. The year of manufacture is not entirely clear, probably the car was between 1735-1740 for Emperor Charles VI. produced. The coach was repeatedly adapted. But a very similar carriage was probably used for the coronation of Joseph II, Holy Roman emperor in Frankfurt in 1764, which was adapted in 1820 as a " mourning tribute car".

The imperial carriage was repeatedly used, about 1835 in the Lower Austrian Hereditary Homage, 1838 at the coronation in Milan and most recently in the Hungarian coronation in Budapest in 1916.

Equipment

The car has four tonnes unladen weight. Its length is 6.77 meters, width 2.12 meters and height 3.55 meters.

The imperial carriage was designed as a French grand carosse. Its structure is designed in the Baroque style, is made of linden wood and is covered with gold leaf. The eight windows have panes of Venetian glass. The roof is decorated with a large model of the Austrian Imperial Crown. From the four corners of the car hanging golden tassels.

The interior is padded and equipped with red velvet and silk. The painted picture panels of the box fields on the sides are signed by Franz Xaver Wagenschön and dated with the year 1763. They show allegories of the ruler virtues which are presumably the Empress Maria Theresa, daughter of Charles VI. relate.

Imperial car was first drawn by six, in 1851, according to the survey of Austria for his own empire, eight Kladrubers molds. The large wheels were always kept in extra suitcases and appropriate to protect only before the actual ceremony again. For other trips spare wheels were used. The car could be drawn due to its heavy weight only at a slow pace. For the coronation in Budapest the car had to be disassembled and transported in parts over the Danube.

The imperial carriage had no coach box after the Spanish court ceremonial. The two coachmen sat instead on the first and last left-sided horse. Lackeys, called " Central boys " dressed in "Spanish livery ," the train accompanied possible. The liveries were made black and yellow velvet in the Habsburg and provided the highest-ranking officials of the clothing of the imperial Obersthofstallmeisteramtes; they were worn only in extremely special occasions.

The mold wore a chest harness in the Rococo style, richly decorated with red velvet, gold embroidery, tassels and rosettes. The horses wore ostrich feathers on their heads, the Fiocchen were called.

The imperial carriage was intended as a symbol and acted as an insignia of the imperial family, he represented the splendor and dignity of the monarchy. Only the Emperor and Crown Prince was allowed to use it. For this reason it was used only for the highest occasions, such as imperial coronations, homage, high church festivals such as Corpus Christi or for special events, such as the arrival of Crown Princess Stephanie in Vienna to her marriage to Crown Prince Rudolf in 1881.

Aftereffect

Apparently, the imperial carriage impression made ​​when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In the winter of 1966 an Iranian minister appeared at the Vienna car maker Josef Klicmann jun. and gave him the contract to build a new coronation coach for the Shah.

Josef Klicmanns father was for many years the k.u.k. Hoflieferanten Sebastian Armbruster been active. After he had his own business, he built cab. His son continued the business on, every now and then he repaired carriages in the Carriage Museum.

Klicmann gathered together a dozen craftsmen for the coach building. The carriage was at the end of 4.4 meters long, 2 meters wide and 2.5 meters high. For security reasons, coated with gold leaf carriage was armored and weighed at the end of three tons, which were drawn by eight white horses. Klicmann had the coach in nine months to finish, the normal production time would be located at two years. The costs amounted to several million shillings.