{{Short description, Stairs usable by horses Prag Reitertreppe

An equestrian staircase or riders' staircase is a very gently sloping flight of steps that can be negotiated by horses. Its origins may be seen in the mule staircases in steep

terrain Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...

in open country.

Use in interior rooms

Its design principles found their way from

road construction A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

into building

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. Here an equestrian staircase was a

spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Eselstreppe
', in: ''Reallexikon zur Deutschen Kunstgeschichte'', Vol. 6, 1968, Cols. 21–22

Representation

From the 15th century, imposing equestrian staircases were built in the stately homes of the nobility. These staircases enabled riders to reach the upper floor on horseback. The equestrian staircase leading to

Vladislav Hall Vladislav Hall ( cs, Vladislavský sál) is a large hall within the Prague Castle complex in the Czech Republic, used for large public events of the Bohemian monarchy and the modern Czech state. Built between 1493–1502 by Benedikt Rejt dur ...

Prague Castle Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality within Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for kin ...

, which was built around 1500, is one of the oldest known examples. Other equestrian staircases are found: * in the

Château d'Amboise The Château d'Amboise is a château in Amboise, located in the Indre-et-Loire ''département'' of the Loire Valley in France. Confiscated by the monarchy in the 15th century, it became a favoured royal residence and was extensively rebuilt. Kin ...

, the Tour de Minimes and the Tour Heurtault both have equestrian staircases * in the Old Palace in

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

* in the Berliner Stadtschloss (demolished 1950) * in the Ehrenburg in

Brodenbach Brodenbach is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in ...

on the

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...

* in the Stallhof in Dresden * in Schloss Riedegg in

Gallneukirchen Gallneukirchen (Central Bavarian: ''Goineikircha'') is a small town in the Austrian state of Upper Austria and is part of the district Urfahr-Umgebung. Motto ''Experience the city, enjoy the land – "Stadt erleben Land genießen (original)"' ...

* in the

Landshut Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also t ...

town ''

residenz Residenz () is a German word for "place of living", now obsolete except in the formal sense of an official residence. A related term, Residenzstadt, denotes a city where a sovereign ruler resided, therefore carrying a similar meaning as the modern ...

'' * in citadel in Spandau * in the Old Palace in Stuttgart

Stepless equestrian ramps

Occasionally ramps were built without any actual steps, enabling horses to draw a carriage or wagon up the incline. There are examples in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

(

St Mark's Campanile St Mark's Campanile ( it, Campanile di San Marco, ) is the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. The current campanile is a reconstruction completed in 1912, the previous tower having collapsed in 1902. At in height, it is the tal ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

(city hall) and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

(

Round Tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and fu ...

Gallery

Thessaloniki-White Tower hallway.jpg, Mule staircase in the

White Tower of Thessaloniki The White Tower of Thessaloniki ( el, Λευκός Πύργος ''Lefkós Pýrgos''; tr, Beyaz Kule; lad, Kuli Blanka) is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece ...

Schloss Klippenstein 8.JPG, Equestrian staircase outside Schloss Klippenstein,

Radeberg Radeberg is a small town in the district of Bautzen, Saxony, Germany. It is located approximately 20 kilometres north-east of Dresden. The town has an Evangelical and a Roman Catholic church, and an old castle. History Radeberg was mentioned ...

Bojnicky zamok - konske schody.jpg, Equestrian staircase outside

Bojnice Castle Bojnice Castle ( sk, Bojnický zámok, hu, Bajmóci vár) is a medieval castle in Bojnice, Slovakia. It is a Romanesque castle with some original Gothic and Renaissance elements built in the 12th century. Bojnice Castle is one of the most visit ...

, Slovakia Rundetårn interior view (2008).jpg, Stepless ramp in the

in Copenhagen (1642) Großsedlitz 1840 wilhelm peters.jpg, Equestrian staircase as an element of the Großsedlitz Baroque Garden Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, Altes Schloß NIK 1456.JPG, Equestrian staircase in

Old Castle (Stuttgart) , native_name_lang = de , image = AltesSchlossStuttgart.JPG , image_size = , image_alt = From Schlossplatz , image_caption = From Schlossplatz , map_type = Baden-Württemberg#Germany , map_alt = Location in Baden-Württemberg , map_captio ...

References

Stairways Equestrianism Horses in culture

Use in interior rooms

Representation

Stepless equestrian ramps

Gallery

See also

References