Vinohrady carousel
The carousel of Vinohrady , also Letná carousel is, according to the National Technical Museum in Prague , the oldest carousel in Europe.
history
The order to build the carousel was placed by Josef Nebeský, and it was built in 1892 by the carpenter Matěj Bílek who lived in Vinohrady . The carousel, housed in a twelve-sided wooden pavilion with a diameter of twelve meters, was initially equipped with 21 life-size horse figures covered with real horse skin and could also be used by adults. In the 1930s, four cars were added, two of which were made of wood and two of metal. The carousel also had an orchestrion , which was stolen in 1994. The drive was initially carried out by hand. In the late 1890s, the carousel received an electric drive.
The ride was initially only intended as a temporary measure and was located next to the “Na Kravíně” inn in Vinohrady. In 1894 it moved to Letná Park in the 7th district , where it was to remain in operation for over a hundred years - from July 11, 1894 to November 17, 2004 - although originally, due to the provisional nature of the ride, it did not even have a building permit had to be granted. This was only due and issued after the move. In Letná Park, too, the carousel was again next to a restaurant. It quickly became a popular destination, especially as it could be reached by both the Letná funicular and the electric tram , which had existed since 1891.
The carousel survived the communist era and remained in private ownership until 2004. Then it became the property of the National Museum of Technology and was closed for general renovation.
restoration
The repair of the roller shutters with which the pavilion can be closed was not a major challenge, but that of the horses. An attempt was made to raise the estimated cost of at least 217,000 euros through donation drives after the European Union did not provide any support. The restoration of the horses was also difficult. Originally, a horse skin, pulled off in one piece, was stretched over the wooden structure. According to the project coordinator, Bilík, when the carousel was built, a herd of horses was slaughtered and skinned for this purpose, which was no longer imaginable in the 21st century. The restorers each had to wait until a suitable horse whose skin could be used was killed somewhere. The original riding saddles also had to be replaced for safety reasons.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ V Praze stojí nejstarší dochovaný kolotoč v Evropě, Radio Prague
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from January 5, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from January 5, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 50 ° 5 ′ 48.1 ″ N , 14 ° 25 ′ 31.1 ″ E