Runner-Based Transport in Zemgale During the 19th–20th Century

Abstract

The article is dedicated to runner-based vehicles in the historical region of Zemgale. The study was based on material sources preserved in accredited memory institutions, written sources and literature. The analysed material sources date from the end of the 19^th century until the 1970s, and allows tracing the development of both types of runner-based vehicles, sledges and sleighs, even though a small number of these vehicles survive to this day. The scarcity of preserved vehicles is due to the fact that in Zemgale, under the influence of the industrial revolution, horse-drawn transport was rapidly replaced by steam engines and later – mechanized vehicles. As a result, runner-based vehicles were no longer used for daily work, lost their former importance and disappeared over time. However, the identified material permits drawing broader conclusions about the trends in the manufacture and use of vehicles, as well as the professional development and performance of wood craftsmen.