COURT LADY 

At last, peace… Those visitors – always whispering, always curious.
Now the walls belong to us again.
Don’t you see it too? There is hardly anything more beautiful than when the world is still… and one can remember.
A time when propriety and elegance still meant something.
And yes, I admit it – also how one traveled.
A Lady of rank does not simply go anywhere.
She rides – in a carriage, naturally. And everyone is meant to see it.

COACHMAN

Well, that’s finely said, my lady.
I sit on the box, wind and rain in my face, the reins as hard as iron.
And inside? Complaints: too bumpy, too cold, too cramped.
As if I could just blow the snow away!
Ladies and gentlemen travel in comfort…
for us coachmen it was backbreaking labor.

MERCHANT 

Oh, you two talk as if the carriage were only for whims or hardships!
For me, it was a tool – and freedom.
I transported goods, closed deals, and expanded my business.
Without the carriage, I would never have gotten this far.
And when success came – I bought my own carriage.
Not as splendid, gracious lady, but mine!
And you know what? I rode it whenever I wanted – not only when the post allowed it!

WHEELWRIGHT 

Hmm, so you all talk about your carriages… and no one thinks about who actually built them.
That was me – and my kind.
I know what a wheel should sound like when it's running smoothly.
I can feel when the wood is just right!
And when the suspension is perfect, even the rockiest road glides a little more easily.
Believe me: A carriage isn't just a means of transport – it's craftsmanship.
By many hands, by my guild.

COURT LADY 

I can still picture the day we drove to Dresden with four horses. 
Windows framed in gold, and people bowed reverently.
How could they have done otherwise?

COACHMAN 

And I see myself on night roads, snow in my beard, arms weighed down.
And from inside comes the knocking: “Coachman, faster!” – My horses are not machines!
That was no pleasure; that was drudgery.

MERCHANT 

For me the carriage meant: no boundaries.
I could travel whenever I wanted, where I wanted.
That was my way of showing the world: I have made it.

WHEELWRIGHT 

And for me – it was the act of creating itself.
The smell of wood shavings, the whistle of the plane, the pull of the leather.
Every screw, every seam, every strike – a piece of me.

COURT LADY  

Despite everything – there remains a difference in who sits inside a carriage.
Noblesse oblige!

COACHMAN

I tell you this: whether count or shopkeeper – they all complain.
The only one who behaves and keeps quiet is the luggage.

MERCHANT

Times are changing. We citizens are now right there at the forefront.
The nobility shares the road – whether they like it or not.

WHEELWRIGHT

Oh, you quarreling wretches. In the end, you're all just sitting there because my wheels are turning smoothly.
Don't forget that!

COURT LADY  

And now – tell us, who are you?

COACHMAN

Those up there – or those down there?

MERCHANT

Or someone who forged his own fortune?

WHEELWRIGHT

Or perhaps a craftsman who is proud of his art?

ALL TOGETHER

Decide for yourselves – and step into the world of carriages!