Text by Stephan Broeckx
Photos by Siggi Offen
The German Empire of the XIXth century, newly united by Otto von Bismarck (1815-1890), the ‘iron chancellor’, saw gentlemen and a few ladies import sporty coaches and park drags from France and England. German carriage builders picked up on this fashion and offered technically advanced carriages, built with traditional German craftsmanship. Germany, unlike many other countries, didn’t have Coaching Clubs. At some important events, such as ‘the big week’ at the Baden-Baden racecourse, coaches went visiting. A sporting, luxurious way of attending the races, high up on an exclusive grandstand, close to the track, the best place to see and be seen.
In 2018, after nearly a century of absence, the great German collector Heinz Scheidel, brought together four coaches for an outing to the races. His wish to recreate the sports ambiance of times gone by and renew the ancient tradition, came true. In 2019, seven carriages from the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany are present. Three American whips, John White, John Hunt and Harvey Waller came to lend a hand. An event orchestrated by Heinz Scheidel can only be perfect, punctual, respectful of tradition, in an exceptional setting, with visits to the grand houses of the area. Whips, passengers and grooms, all dressed exactly as tradition calls for, enjoyed a sunny Saturday on the roads and tracks of the countryside of Baden-Baden, Germany’s number one thermal city in the Black Forest.
An immutable coaching tradition is the picnic; elegant, gastronomical, a place to mingle and share. The background is provided by the age-old shady gardens of a charming baroque hunting and pleasure lodge, the Favorite Castle, built between 1710 and 1727 for the young marchioness Sibylla Augusta von Baden-Baden. The coaches take us back in time to the splendors and elegance of amusing parties, hunts and concerts. This ravishing castle, called ‘a porcelain palace’ contains the largest Meissen porcelain collection of the world. The picnic guests are treated to fresh salads, pastry, chaudfroid, gateau and ice cream served in porcelain and crystal, for the champagne.
Sunday saw the coaches and drags entering the Iffezheim race course, admired on their passing in front of the grandstands. The horses are unharnessed and brought to their stables; the carriages line up at the barrier. A privileged grandstand to watch the races taking place at your feet.
A news tradition is born, the public is ecstatic, whips are ever so happy, guests feel pampered and organizer Heinz Scheidel has marked the ‘big week’ of the Iffezheim races in bold in his desk diary for 2020.
