09/09/2019
Hello, my dear friends! Welcome to Troika_Russian Goods Store.
Let’s figure out why my store has such a name and what does Troika mean.
Troika is a Russian vehicle, esp. a sleigh or carriage, drawn by a specially trained team of three horses abreast.
It was a Russian invention of the 18th century to team three horses with different styles of pace, which had been unprecedented for that time. It covered long distances on high speed for a horse carriage, 45-50 kilometers per hour. For the 18th century this speed was a speed of a rocket. A strong horse was harnessed in the middle. It was trotting fast and efficiently. Two other horses were harnessed on the both sides of the middle horse. They were galloping with their heads sideways. Such arrangement of horsepower gave higher speed, stamina and weight carrying capacity. Troika was introduced to mail delivery service and soon the quality of the service improved. Correspondence and goods were delivered in no time. Soon troika was adopted to transport people. Before troika was invented the trip from Saint Petersburg to Moscow, 635 km, took 2 to 3 full days, Troika could cover this distance in 36 hours (now it’s a 4.5 hours trip by Sapsan train;)
When troika became a means of transport coachmen began decorating it. At first they gilded the shaft bow above the middle horse. Later they ornamented and carved the shaft bow with different motifs. This served as a talisman against evil spirits, wild animals and robbers.
As troika was a high speed means of transport in Russian cities of the 18th century and there were no traffic regulations the shaft bow of troikas were equipped with bells which warned the pedestrians about the coming carriage.
Now you know what troika means.
So, considering all this I decided to give my store such a national and unique name.
Best regards,
Ksenia
The owner of Troika_Russian goods
