What is a Landau bar on a hearse?

Have you ever noticed the large curved bar usually found toward the back of a hearse? This ornamental item is called a landau bar, named after the type of convertible carriage once popularized in Landau, Germany. Developed in the mid-1940s, these bars are now commonly used on hearses - not just in the United States, but also in the Philippines. The landau bars embody an aesthetic reminiscent of those carriages which had folding roofs and served as reminders of times long past.