Landau (carriage)

The landau is a four-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage with a folding top divided into two separate sections, one over the front seat and one over the rear, that could be lowered independently or together, allowing the vehicle to be used fully open, fully closed or in an intermediate configuration depending on weather and occasion. Named after the German city of Landau, where the design is traditionally said to have originated, it became a favored carriage for formal and ceremonial use among European nobility and later wealthy families more broadly because its open configuration let occupants be seen by crowds during processions and public appearances. Landau-style carriages remain in ceremonial use today for state occasions and royal weddings in several countries.