Britzka


A britzka 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 motorhome, as it could be adapted with all manner of conveniences 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. He carried with him a 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.