Britzka
A britzka (also spelled brichka or britska) is a type of horse-drawn carriage. It was a long, spacious carriage with four wheels, as well as a folding top over the rear seat and a rear-facing front seat. Pulled by two horses, it had a place in the front for a driver. It was constructed as to give space for reclining at night when used on a journey. Its size made it suitable for use as a 19th-century equivalent to a motor-home, as it could be adapted with all manner of conveniences (beds, dressing tables etc.) for the traveler.
The great railway engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel used a britzka, the 'Flying Coffin' as his traveling office whilst surveying the route of the Great Western Railway. Carrying with him his: drawing board, outline plans, engineering instruments, fifty of his favorite Lopez cigars and a pull-out bed.
The term is a variant of the Polish term bryczka, a "little cart", from bryka, "cart", possibly coming into English via several ways, including German britschka and Russian brichka.
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Britzka. |
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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Britzska. |
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Britzska". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.