150 years of carriages in the Vondelpark

Few people do realise that the lanes in the Vondelpark, where bikers hurry along, originally were ment for horse drawn carriages. The lanes were made so wide that  carriages could easily pass The various families had their carriages painted in their heraldic colours so from a distance one could see who was approaching and whether one was willing  to greet the passengers or not. In the BerlinTiergarten, the Paris Bois de Boulogne and the London Hydepark people also met each other this way. 

The honorable Van Loon family made many drives through the Vondelpark, among others in the Char à Bancs. Very often they were accompanied by their children who loved to feed  the ducks. In the stables of Museum Van Loon the recent splendidly restored Char à Bancs, the sleigh, harnesses and liveries of the coachmen can be seen.

The coachhouse will host a photo exhibition of the days that carriages were a normal feature / phenomenon in the Vondelpark. 

The exhibition has been opened by a carriage tour in the Vondelpark on the 15th of June. That day a large variety of carriages pulled by singles, pairs and teams of horses, ponies and donkeys have riden through the park as in former days.