Telege
The Telege - from Russian теле́га ( teléga ) - is a simple horse-drawn carriage that was widespread in Russia from the 16th to the 20th centuries. This four-wheeled car is unsprung and often has no weather protection for the driver or cargo. This made the Telege the typical transport vehicle for the simple rural population.
The footprint is usually around 2.5 by 1.5 meters. Typically, the front wheels are 60 to 70 cm in diameter smaller, while the rear wheels are 70 to 100 cm. The size of the wheels is not an essential feature of this class of car. Loads of up to 750 kg are common.
A Wagner ( wheelwright ) needed about a month to build such a car . While wheels with pneumatic tires are also used for modern versions , the classic Telege is made entirely of wood except for individual metal parts.
In translations, the ending -a ( the telega - la téléga, also la télègue ) is used in English and French , while in German it is called the telege (as in War and Peace , translated by Erich Böhme; 1928).
Telege became known to the German through novels, the plot of which is set in Russia. Including:
- " War and Peace "; Leo Tolstoy
- "Sebastopol"; Sir John Retcliffe
- "Travel Memories"; Friedrich August Kolenati
- "Russia Tour Caucasian Trip"; Alexandre Dumas
“One shouldn't confuse the tarantase (sic) with the telege. The tarantase is said to be originally a Tatar wagon, and the best-built ones can still be found in Kazan. The Telege is a real Russian wagon. It can already be found at Herberstein ... pictured. It resembles a boat set on a four-wheeled short undercarriage and looks more delicate than our farm wagons. But nobody dares to claim that one can sit comfortably on it, and one must constantly and skillfully balance on it if one does not want to be thrown down! ... You won't find any other vehicle than this at the Russian post stations. "
