Imperial sleighs: transport as a national symbol at the exposition "Geography Lessons"

A sleigh from the collection of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve will become one of the key show pieces of the exposition "Geography Lessons" at the National Centre RUSSIA. The two-seat "city" sleigh was created in St Petersburg in 1807 in the workshop of the renowned carriage maker Georg Geiger "for the personal journeys of Her Majesty the Sovereign Empress Maria Fyodorovna". This show piece is usually displayed as part of the exposition "Court Carriage" in the building of the former Duty Stables.

The connection between carriages and geography is deeper than it might appear at first glance. The spacious sleigh on iron runners, with a front shield protecting from snow dust, lined with lilac velvet and beaver fur inside, is not just an evidence of court life at the beginning of the 19th century. It is also a material embodiment of the story of how the vast expanses of our country were explored during the winter season.

The sleigh was designed to be drawn by a pair of horses in a style called "na otlyot" ("flying off"): the main horse, called the shaft horse, was harnessed in a Russian yoke (duga), and a side horse, called trace horse, would be attached by traces to the sleigh on the left, to increase speed. When a third horse was attached on the other side of the shaft horse, the team became the famous Russian troika. Its image has come to symbolise power, freedom and the breadth of the Russian spirit in the global imagination.

Photo: Provided by the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum

In old Russian tradition, sleighs were considered the most ceremonial form of imperial carriage and were used in ceremonies not only in winter but also in summer. For a long time, travelling by sleigh was regarded as more honourable than travelling on wheels. Even after wheeled transport became widespread, sleighs remained an important element of traditional festivities.

The sleigh of Empress Maria Fyodorovna is the only surviving example of this type. For many years, it could be seen only during the shooting of historical films; later it became part of the exposition at Tsarskoye Selo. At the exposition "Geography Lessons", the imperial sleigh will demonstrate that the geography of Russia has been shaped not only by lines on paper, but also by real means of transportation.

The exposition "Geography Lessons" at the National Centre RUSSIA will open on 3 April. It can be visited free of charge with prior registration on the website russia.ru.