Germany:Europe Series: Historical Mail Routes

On 7 May 2020, Deutsche Post issued their contribution to EUROPA 2020 - Ancient Postal Routes competition.

The conveyance of messages through written documents has been attested since the invention of written characters. The term “post” is derived from the Latin "posita" (established) and describes courses on fixed routes at regular times.

Issue Description
In Central Europe, the establishment of the postal course between the residences in Tyrol (Innsbruck) and the newly acquired Burgundian territories (Mechelen, Brussels) of the Habsburgs marks the beginning of the post. King Maximilian I (from 1508 emperor) commissioned the Italian Franz Tassis to organize the regular posts in 1490.

The Taxis family, as they later called themselves, achieved prosperity and prestige through mail delivery for the nobility and trade. The distance between the post offices until the horse changed was about two hours of riding. The post roads used the existing trade routes, which mostly ran on ridges. Even today there is a "high street" in many areas of Germany.

In addition to the letter post, the carriage mail was followed by the transport of commercial goods and finally of people. However, the transport by the Taxissche Reichspost was not undisputed. Some imperial cities (Cologne, Frankfurt, Nuremberg) or regional rulers set up competing errands. The General Postmaster General der Thurn (this name was confirmed by the Emperor in 1650, in 1695 the elevation to the prince status followed) and Taxis-Post resided in Brussels until 1730, the Oberpostamt in Frankfurt administered the daily business.

For the year 1627 there is a list of postal rates from the Frankfurt postmaster Johann von den Birghden.

Stamp
The stamp shows an ancient postman riding quickly to reach the next fortified town before sunset. The modern design with cheerful and bright colours encourages to discover more details of different kinds of transportation, ancient landscapes and postal routes.

Minisheet
The Minisheet contains the stamp from the issue (one design) incorporated into a Minisheet.

EUROPA Series
Other Issues under the EUROPA theme include: