Kutschenmuseum Auerstedt

Description

In the former stables of Auerstedt Castle, the vehicle fleet of the ducal family of Saxe-Weimar and Eisenach from around 1775 to 1890 is displayed. This includes magnificent state, wedding, hunting, and travel carriages. Also on display is the child´s carriage of the hereditary Grand Duke Carl Alexander, as well as a running machine by the inventor of the two-wheeled vehicle principle, Karl Freiherr von Drais.

The significant historical carriage collection showcases various types of carriages and documents stages of technical development. The vehicles were manufactured in places such as Thuringia, Vienna, Amsterdam, and St. Petersburg. The focus is on carriages that were brought to the Weimar court as wedding furnishings: This includes the travel carriage with which Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna and Hereditary Prince Carl Friedrich traveled from St. Petersburg to Weimar in 1804.

A special piece is the running machine from 1818, which Grand Duke Carl August ordered from Karl Freiherr von Drais in Mannheim for his son Carl Friedrich. This "Draisine" is the second oldest known example that Drais produced.