Mobile Home Ancestors: Colorful Gypsy Trailers

Today we are used to hearing stories about motor homes, as people embark on a long journey by car, turned into a full-fledged mini-apartment. It is generally accepted that this tradition came from the Americans, but it has its roots in 19th-century Europe.

The first trailers appeared with circus artists. Of course, cars were very far back then, so they were horse drawn carts. Inside were beds and tables to cook food. It was these trailers that the gypsies borrowed.

These people wandered to different countries, mainly in Europe and Asia, but they are also on the American continent. They called their cars the sonorous word "Vardo" (Vardo). Of course, these trailers were much smaller than street performers, so fewer horses were required. The gypsies loved their small motor homes and tried to decorate them as brightly as possible. As a result, painted vardos with intricate patterns of rich shades appeared, and some of them were even gilded. They were especially popular in the late XIX century - early XX century.

True, over time, such vibrant vardos turned into a museum exhibit rather than a sleeping place. Sometimes the carts were exchanged for something necessary from the merchants. Yes, and the political and economic situation in the world was heating up, the First World War also made adjustments. In addition, the gypsies have a tradition: when someone dies, his personal belongings must be burned, including wardo. So today there are very few such colorful gypsy carts left, and they have been preserved only in some museums and among private collectors.