The Funchal Oxen That Pull Madeira Into The 21st Century

The Madeira Archipelago has long been habitually considered to be a destination for middle-aged and retiring holidaymakers.

Funchal, being Madeira Island's main city, has invariably been regarded in a similar way. Certainly, there is a long list of past events that shows how Funchal has sometimes displayed a distinct lack of enthusiasm for new ideas.

To demonstrate this reticence, one perspective that illustrates Funchal's intransigence to modernisation was it's unfailing reluctance to update it's erstwhile main form of transport.

The establishment of motor cars in any consequential numbers did not appear on Madeira Island until the early years of the 1960s. Whilst the automobile was briskly gaining in popularity throughout Europe and North America after World War II, Funchal city steadfastly rebuffed the use of wheeled transport technology.

But, how did the well-heeled in Madeira's capital journey in comfort?

A peculiarly Madeiran, oxen drawn, wheel less wooden cart-like vehicle, with something akin to ski runners, was the solution.

A couple of men, traditionally sporting white straw boater hats, walked apace with these "carro de bois" vehicles. One man was required to steer the the beasts of burden pulling the cart. The remaining man held a greasy cloth that was repeatedly placed underneath the sled runners to curtail the friction between the wooden runners and the road. Both attendants had the responsibility of waving the flies away from the bullocks and, during the night, the steerer carried a candle lantern to light their passage and let their advance be known to others.

The carriages possessed a roof above the open sides from which linen curtains hung. These drapes were frequently drawn across the open sides to provide some shade to the passengers.

It was not uncommon in the 1950s to see the belief reported that Funchal's narrow, challenging, often steeply incline, cobblestone roadways would never witness the automobile. The assumption responsible for this opinion was that petrol driven, wheeled transport would never compete with the perfectly evolved traditional carro de bois.

Naturally, the inevitable steady pressure of the inevitable has emerged victorious. Like elsewhere, automobiles have elbowed their way into the lives of Funchal's inhabitants.

Acceptance of the motor car has been a long drawn out process though. It has only been in the last 10 years that Madeira has resolved the hardship that nature has bestowed upon the island in terms of the challenging terrain. The recently constructed Rapida highway being the the answer to those challenges. For details of the Rapida route into Madeir'a capital city, download a Funchal map.

The Rapida is unlike any other motorway you are likely to encounter. an assortment of tunnels and pillar supported bridges conquer the challenges of Madeira's mountainous topography and precipitous ravines. It may not surprise you to learn that Madeira boasts more road tunnels per mile of roadway than any other nation in the world.

If you do not feel up to the challenge of Madeira's roads then you can easily travel the island by taking a Madeira excursion.