The Charming World of Carousels

Carousels, or merry-go-rounds, have a rich history rooted in medieval European jousting training, where knights practiced spearing a ring while riding a rotating wooden horse — the word itself likely derives from the Italian carosello or Spanish carosellos, meaning "little battle." By the 17th and 18th centuries, ornate carousels had become fashionable entertainments in the courts of France and across Europe, eventually spreading to public fairs and parks. Paris boasts some of the most iconic examples, including the beloved carousel at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and the classic hand-painted wooden horses near Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre — both embodying the Belle Époque aesthetic of gilded frames, mirrored canopies, and romantic painted panels. London's historic carousels, such as those seen at Southbank and Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland, tend to draw from Victorian fairground tradition, featuring ornate brass fixtures, painted rounding boards, and a slightly wilder, carnival spirit. Lisbon hosts charming carousels; the traditional Parisian is a common sight in Terreiro do Paço and a two-tier carousel at the Zoo, New York's carousel legacy is particularly storied: the Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park (a restored 1922 Dentzel masterpiece housed in a Nouvel-designed glass pavilion), the Central Park Carousel, and the historic B&B Carousell at Coney Island all reflect the American gilded-age tradition of grand amusement park machines — larger, more theatrical, and often crafted by the famous Coney Island style carvers known for dramatic, highly individualized horses with flared nostrils and elaborate trappings.