Landaus

Landaus are a class of four-wheeled horse-drawn carriages named after the German city of Landau in the Palatinate. They were designed to carry passengers in comfort and style, with a spacious rear compartment and a folding top that could be opened for air or closed for weather protection. Typically drawn by a pair of horses, landaus were popular in Europe and its colonies from the late 18th century through the 19th century, used for urban transport, ceremonial occasions, and long-distance travel by the upper classes.

The defining feature of a landau is its folding or convertible top, often referred to as the landau top. This mechanism allowed the rear passenger area to be opened to the elements while maintaining a sheltered driver’s compartment. Landaus were frequently elaborately decorated, with refined woodwork, metal fittings, and seating arranged to emphasize status and comfort. The interior configuration commonly included a front driver’s bench and a rear passenger compartment that could accommodate several passengers, sometimes with fold-down side windows or doors for access.

Variants include the landaulet, a smaller version with a more limited folding roof over the rear seating area. In automotive history, the term landau is used to describe luxury convertible coachwork on early motor cars that adopted a similar folding-top concept. Landaus declined with the rise of fully enclosed carriages and automobiles, but surviving examples are valued by museum collections and private collectors for their craftsmanship and social-historical significance.