Postal history and stamps of Mecklenburg

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National history

Mecklenburg was divided by the so-called Hamburg settlement of March 8, 1701 into two limited autonomous (partial) duchies: Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz , which formed a common state, had the same constitution since 1755 and were subject to a common state parliament. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna made both parts of the country (partial) grand duchies.

post Office

Bishop's hostel in Lübeck

It is reported from the year 1644 that the first regular mail was driven between Schwerin and Rostock. In 1680 the Mecklenburg state posts were founded by the dukes Gustav Adolf of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (1633–1695) and Christian Ludwig I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1658–1692). After some disputes, on June 22nd, 1717, a postal unification agreement was reached between Prussia and Mecklenburg-Strelitz. From the dispute, Hanover tried, when called as a mediator, to pull the mail shelf to itself. Hanover lifted the Prussian posts in Boitzenburg and Escheburg and set up his posts. The result was a dispute with Prussia.

When the foreign troops had left the country, Prussia opened a post via Grabow to Parchim, with a connection to the Mecklenburg post to Plau. There was connection to the Berlin-Güstrower course, which had been laid out in 1713 via Fehrbellin, Ruppin and Wittstock.

In 1755, an edict from Duke Christian Ludwig II (1683–1759) introduced compulsory mail . A new regulation was issued in 1759. It regulated the extra mail system and the relay system . A postage table for letters and files appeared in 1764. A postal order from 1770 prohibited the carriage of letters and parcels under 25 pounds. Until 1849, the Mecklenburg-Schwerin postal system was administered by a chamber college. Since November 1, 1849, a General Postal Directorate under the Finance Minister has been in charge of the fortunes of the Post.

On July 1, 1850, both parts of the country joined the German-Austrian Postal Union .

Dobbertiner monastery messenger

At the beginning of the 18th century, Duke Karl Leopold (Mecklenburg) had sovereignty over the postal system in Mecklenburg-Schwerin . But during the protracted disputes between the prince and the estates, the Mecklenburg postal system was hardly noticed, even though it already played an important role in economic life at that time. The monastery captain Joachim Lütke von Bassewitz had also recognized this. The Dobbertin Monastery had letters, parcels and people transported by the monastery’s own messengers and carriages. With the ordinance of July 25, 1710, the general mandatory postal service was also introduced in Mecklenburg-Schwerin. All letters and small "postal-like parcels" were now to be carried by the ducal post. Only cargo items were still allowed to be transported by the trucking trade. The weight limit for mail and freight was unclear. The monastery office made use of this “regulation gap” until 1740. In 1752, a twice-weekly courier mail was set up from Parchim via Lübz, Goldberg and Dobbertin. Since the transport of letters and parcels was not fast and safe enough for the monastery office, the monastery captain Jobst Heinrich von Bülow also had a messenger run between Dobbertin and Güstrow twice a week "to maintain his own mail traffic". After a 17-year dispute, the post office in Güstrow was ordered not to accept the letters brought by the messenger. The monastery captain August Friedrich von Strahlendorff brought the dispute to the state parliament, which immediately intervened with the duke in favor of the monastery. As a result, the decree was issued on March 16, 1770: "Every member of our loyal knighthood and landscape is always free to have things belonging to him or her carried away by his carts and messengers ..." So there were only individuals, not own messengers Colleges like the monastery too. The abolition of the monastery messenger was ordered, but everything in the monastery stayed the same. 1926–1928 the monastery again had a dispute with the government of the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin because of the messenger . The judgment of December 1, 1927 still gave the monastery the right to be a monastery messenger.

Postage stamps

Brand images from Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Mecklenburg-Schwerin introduced postage stamps on July 1, 1855. Despite the different sizes of the stamps, their image was the same. Only the value of ¼ Schilling shows the crowned bull's head, all the others the great coat of arms of the country with a crown, above FREIMARKEand below SCHILLINGE. On the vertical sides of the brand is written MECKLENBon the left and SCHWERINon the right. The value of the postage is noted in the corners of the stamp. The postal stationery is provided with almost round stamp imprints.

Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Brand images from Mecklenburg-Strelitz

In Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the postal system was under the authority of the Chamber and Forester College until the transition to the administration of the North German Confederation .

Mecklenburg-Strelitz only introduced postage stamps in 1864. The rectangular stamps were only intended for domestic traffic. With them, the value is at the top, the currency (silver groschen or shilling) on ​​the bottom. On the vertical sides of the stamp is noted MECKLENBon the left and STRELITZon the right side. For traffic with other states, the stamps were octagonal and in postal union colors. In the octagon is at the top MECKLENB.STRELITZ, in the middle the value in numbers and below the value in words with the currency SILB.GR. The stamp impressions of the postal stationery correspond to those of the octagonal stamps.

See also

swell

Printed sources

Unprinted sources

  • State Main Archive Schwerin (LHAS)
    • LHAS 3.2-3 / 1 Provincial Monastery / Monastery Office Dobbertin.

literature

  • BE Crole: History of the Deutsche Post . 2nd Edition. Verlag W. Malende, Leipzig 1889 (the author is Bruno Emil König from Berlin).
  • K. Schwarz: Timeline of German postal history . In: Post and Telegraphy in Science and Practice . tape 22 . RV Deckers Verlag, Berlin 1935.
  • Handheld dictionary of postal services . Frankfurt a. M. 1953.
  • H. Zänger: The postal history of Mecklenburg. (Continuation article) In: Deutsche Briefmarken-Zeitung from issue No. 11/2008, p. 78.
  • Mecklenburg-Schwerin: What you need to know about this collecting area! (Continuation article) In: Deutsche Briefmarken-Revue from issue no. 11/2001 p. 31 f.
  • Collection area old Germany: Mecklenburg-Strelitz (continuation article) In: Deutsche Briefmarken-Revue from issue No. 3/2004.

Web links

Commons : Postage stamps from Mecklenburg-Schwerin  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Postage stamps from Mecklenburg-Strelitz  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ LHAS 3.2-3 / 1 Landeskloster / Klosteramt Dobbertin. No. 526 lawsuit against the Güstrow post office for changing the postal route 1723–1732.
  2. ↑ Horst Alsleben : Navi on old monastery paths. SVZ, Mecklenburg-Magazin, June 16, 2017.
  3. ↑ Horst Alsleben: Own messenger for conveying letters. Interesting facts from the history of Dobbertin Monastery: Dispute with the ducal post . Schweriner Volkszeitung from July 12, 2005.