Fine horses, coaches and sledges were highly prized in wealthy Basel households from early times until the 20th century. Before the advent of the railway the Basel silk manufacturers and merchants used coaches for their many long business journeys. In the age of the railway coaches were used only for shortdistance travel and sporting entertainment by the ladies and gentlemen of Basel's wealthy upper class. Although increasing numbers of motor cars were bought after the turn of the century, the decisive turning point came with the First World War, when most private horses were commandeered for the army. The rapid social change during and after the War saw the disappearance of most luxury horse teams in Basel. The imposing aristocratic villas with parks, stables and coachhouses on the St. Alban estate, in the Gellert quarter, on the Lange Gasse and in other parts of the city near the center were replaced by apartment blocks and commercial buildings. Today there is little architectural evidence left in the city of Basel's great enthusiasm for horses.
The hackney cab firms of Basel also operated the hotel omnibuses, horsedrawn trams, ambulances and so on. The two largest cab firms, Gebrüder Keller and Gebrüder Settelen, also enjoyed an excellent reputation outside Basel. From 1881 until 1895 the Centralbahnhof and the Badische Bahnhof in Basel were linked by a railless horsedrawn tram. This was replaced in 1895 by an electric tramway. The last horsedrawn hackney cab ran in 1936, and in 1955 the post office stopped delivering parcels by horsedrawn waggon.
By the end of the 19th century a few old sledges from the 17th and 18th century had been donated to the Basel Historical Museum. Their number was increased by isolated purchases. After 1930 they were joined by an increasing number of coaches, though for reasons of space most of these were stored. In 1980 the cowshed on the former Merian country estate in Brüglingen was converted into an exhibition building. Since then the number of exhibits has increased steadily, though lack of space has meant that they have had to be restricted to typical objects relating to Basel. The hunting carriages, dog carts, phaetons, coupés and landaus on display here attest to the excellent craftsmanship of Basel’s own coach-builders.
