Postal history and postage stamps of Saxony

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Historic post office sign from 1830 on a GDR postage stamp from 1990

This article deals with Saxony's postal history and stamps from the messenger system to the transition to the administration of the North German Confederation in 1868.

Messenger mail

Post rider, Italy, 1563

The first traces of a postal system in Saxony can be found towards the end of the 15th century. At that time, a purely official messenger system developed to which the public had no access.

Like the Hanseatic League and the Swabian League , Leipzig had set up its messenger connections with Augsburg, Nuremberg, Braunschweig, Cölln on the Spree (Berlin), Dresden, Magdeburg, Hamburg, Prague and Vienna.

In 1498 Albrecht the Courageous (1443–1500), he was governor in West Friesland , set up a regular messenger connection to his home country Meißen . His successor George the Bearded (1471–1539), who resided in Slutorp, kept the course upright until he resigned as governor in Friesland in 1515. The messenger connection did not carry any private correspondence.

The first postal map was drawn up in 1560. The mile wheel of the mechanic Joh. Magdeburger was attached to a car and was used to determine the distance.

His letters were still delivered by special messengers. Horseback messengers, couriers and Estafetten existed before. After all, they were in contact with the courts of Braunschweig and Hesse.

In 1563, Elector August von Sachsen (1526–1586) decreed the abolition of the so-called “Lehnklepper” and the establishment of a Saxon court post by permanently employed “uniformed mailmen” with regular mail rides on certain routes in addition to the urban messenger system. In 1574 one of these messengers on horseback, Salomon Felgenhauer, was appointed postmaster of Dresden and thus head of the court mail. The Hofpost was not intended for the public, but was only restricted to the transport of official correspondence between central and sub-authorities (offices).

In 1590, the City Council of Leipzig appointed Martin Lange as messenger master, who performed his duties in the “ Safranwage ”. On February 4, 1608 the council issued a messenger order, in which u. a. it was determined that the messenger master had all incoming letters that were not picked up within two hours to be delivered by messenger for an order fee of 3 Pfg.

Under the elector Johann Georg I (1585–1656) the postal system had developed further. The posts had increased and a post office had been set up in Leipzig instead of a messenger office. The first postmaster was Johann Sieber , who particularly promoted foot mail from Leipzig via Dresden to Prague. In 1616 the first "ordinari Post" ran between Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main. In 1633 Sieber was dismissed from the post of postmaster and he was given the sovereign post for a lease of 1,500 guilders. Sieber's successor Mühlbach paid 500, later 800 and then 1,000 guilders. The messenger post from Leipzig to Dresden, set up in 1625, was set up as a riding post in 1652, after which it was converted into a carriage mail.

Kurbrandenburg maintained a chancellery mail from Berlin via Nuremberg, Regensburg and Eger to Prague. On January 20, 1653, Mühlbach set up his own messenger mail via Eger to Regensburg. Of course there were disagreements here too, with Brandenburg but also with Thurn und Taxis .

The first sovereign ordinance on the postal system was issued on April 30, 1661. Thirty years later one encounters the first postal service seal, it shows the coat of arms of Electoral Saxony and the inscription “Churf. Saxon. Ober Postambt Leipzig ". In 1683 the first Saxon field post with an official was already in operation during the Turkish War , the last in 1866.

Gottfried Egger, the next tenant of the post office, obtained an edict in 1681, which declared the postal system to be sovereign and a state shelf.

In 1693, Elector Friedrich III proposed . von Brandenburg proposed a universal association of posts. Berlin picked up the moving mail from Berlin to Wittenberg and moved this course from Zerbst to Halle. The contract was concluded in 1699, and the border points Cöthen , Großkugel , Wittenberg and Zerbst were agreed . The Brandenburg Post from Halle to Jena remained. Saxony took over the diplomatic post between Berlin and Regensburg.

Moving mail

Formerly a Chursächsische post wagon, unsprung

The moving post was able to transport not only letters, but also people and heavy objects. Especially in the early days or when there were a lot of passengers as a sidecar , the cars were by no means always of the quality that is known from illustrations from the 19th century.

The Chursächsische Post used freight cars that were covered with a yellow-washed tarpaulin and had a coach box for 2 to 4 people in the middle. Depending on the load, it was drawn by 2 to 7 horses. From 1739 a lighter, semi-covered car was used.

The uncomfortable wagons, initially not carriages , were sarcastically called “country coaches” or “yellow coaches” by travelers. Justus Zachariae wrote in 1770: “Whoever fate has condemned to drive on a kitchen post when the uncomfortable car has always crept away slowly in stormy winds, sunshine and rain, is finally happy when, after many deadly boring hours, he is somewhere Discovered a light in the deserted area, and every bad inn with a thatched roof seems more splendid than a splendid castle. "

Lease of the national post office

The many and important post offices in the country as well as the relations with the neighboring postal states, which have become so important, made the establishment of a superior postal authority urgently necessary. Elector Johann Georg IV. (1668–1694) approved in an edict of February 24, 1693 and the Post and Tax Ordinance of May 13 and 19 in § 2, the conversion of the upper post office in Leipzig to the upper post office of Saxony. His successor, Elector Friedrich August der Starke (1670–1733) appointed Jacob Heinrich von Flemming Hereditary General Postmaster, followed by his brother Joachim Friedrich , while the former sold the postal system to the Elector for 160,000 thalers.

The Chamber College then transferred the entire postal system to Chief Postmaster Jacob Kees for six years in return for a lease of 12,000 thalers. His successor, Johann Jakob Kees , also paid a lease of 12,000 thalers and was given the title of "Electoral Councilor of Commerce". He introduced a stagecoach connection, initially from Leipzig to Dresden. On July 1, 1712, he laid down the administration of the upper post office and received a severance payment of 150,000 thalers and the title of "Court and Justice Council".

State Post

In 1712 the college was again in charge of the state postal system. The senior post commissioner Christian Leonhardi was entrusted with the management. Leonhardi worked out a postal order that appeared on July 27, 1713. It established several new postal rates. The most important course went from Leipzig via Kassel and Münster to Holland. His successor (1715) was Councilor Paul Vermehren . He made a contribution to the geometric measurement of all postal routes, a task that could be completed in 1721. 1722 the establishment of the removal of 1 ½ and ¼ Postmeilensäule designating began in Saxony stone, post mile column . And then the Councilor prevented the relocation of the upper post office from Leipzig to Dresden. After his death (1731) the post was not filled again. The upper postal authority received a collegial constitution and was subordinate to the Ministry of Finance in Dresden.

There is a postal report from 1776. Accordingly, the mail from Hanover to Leipzig (in good weather) took 3 days and 3 nights. The fare, calculated over 29 miles, was 6 thalers, 14 groschen. In addition, there was the wagon master's fee of 2 groschen for every departure if the luggage had been reloaded. If this was not the case, the wagon master and the postilion each received 1 groschen. At the beginning of the century, express or express coaches were introduced, the roads improved, and international connections better regulated and increased.

The Saxon post offices in Upper Lusatia did not belong to the upper post office in Leipzig . A post office had developed here around 1678, which was later managed by the Bautzen Upper Post Office. This did not change until April 1, 1816, as a result of the division of Saxony at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Other Saxon post offices existed in the Princely Russian lands in Gera and Schleiz, in the Duchy of Saxony-Coburg-Saalfeld in Pößneck, Saalfeld and Gräfental Schwarzburgischen lands to Rudolstadt, Königssee, Frankenhausen, Sondershausen and Greußen and in the Duchy of Saxony-Weimar in Weimar, Buttelstädt, Ilmenau and Allstedt. They existed until July 1, 1816. The ducal Saxon-Altenburg postal system administered Saxony earlier until 1784. At that time, the ducal chamber in Altenburg took over its posts, but in 1817 transferred them to the Prince of Thurn und Taxis. Since August 1, 1847, the post office was again left to the Crown of Saxony.

Saxony was one of the first states to join the German Postal Union (July 1, 1850). It comprised the upper post office in Leipzig as the upper post office, the court post office in Dresden, 129 post offices, post offices and post expeditions.

In the mid-1820s, the Saxon postal car park was renewed. In 1824 the first mailboxes were installed in Dresden and Leipzig. Mailboxes were soon to be found in the other cities and in the country, and from 1862 they were even hung on the mail coaches. In 1829 city posts and letter collections were set up in Dresden and Leipzig. In 1859 the general country post was introduced. With it the postal service should be reached nationwide in the whole country.

The royal Saxon postal area also extended to the Duchy of Saxony-Altenburg and comprised 2,225,240 inhabitants. In 1865 there were 232 post offices and expeditions, 4 traveling railroad post offices, 3 letter collections, a total of 251 post offices. There were also 70 post offices. In addition, 819 postal officials, 1149 sub-officials, 83 conductors and 464 postillions were employed. There were 603 mail cars and sleds.

The Saxon postal system was so well prepared on January 1, 1867, when it became part of the North German Federal Post Office.

Postage stamps

Two pairs of 3 pfennigs ex Ferrari collection

On July 1, 1850, the first Saxon postage stamp was issued. The value of 3 pfennigs, the so-called Saxon three , was square and showed the number "3" in the middle on "watered" ground, a value that was repeated in letters "THREE" on the left and "PFENNIGE" on the right, while the word above "SACHSEN" and below "FRANCO" could be read. The stamps were printed in red on white.

Saxon postage stamp images

In 1851 the “Saxon three” was replaced by a value with a new motif. This stamp shows the Saxon coat of arms in green print on white paper , above the word "SACHSEN" and below the indication of the value "DREI PFENNIGE" as well as the value as a number on both sides. A few days later, more stamps adorned the portrait of King Friedrich August II. (1797–1854), the king looks to the right. On a tape above "SACHSEN" underneath the indication "NEW ½ GROSCHEN " or 1, 2 or 3 new groschen . The stamps for 2 new pennies appeared in a different color in 1852.

After the king's death, the portrait was changed: from 1855, King Johann (1801–1873) looked to the left, in 1856 the values ​​were added to 5 and 10 new penny.

In 1863 stamps with new motifs came to the post office counter. The value of three pfennigs or ½ new penny shows in the middle the coat of arms of Saxony as a relief in an ornate double oval, at the top is "SAXONY", at the bottom "PFENNIGE" or "NEUGROSCHEN" and in another oval on the right and left in a double oval Value as a number that is repeated directly under the coat of arms and at the four corners. With the higher values, the double oval was more playful and also rounder. The corners were not designed.

In 1859 postal stationery was also issued. The value imprint shows the image of the respective king in a double oval, at the top "SAXONY", at the bottom the value in letters, for example "EIN NEW PUNCH". In 1863 the Saxon national coat of arms was in an octagon (½ new penny) or as usual, now with the coat of arms in a double oval.

literature

  • BE Crole: History of the Deutsche Post. Publishing house W. Malende, Leipzig 1889.
  • Wolfram Sturm: History of the Leipziger Post. Edited by Pro Leipzig in collaboration with the Leipzig City History Museum. Leipzig 2007, ISBN 978-3-936508-28-4 .

Web links

Commons : Stamps of Saxony  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dates of German postal history from 1490 , Hans-Jürgen Salier , Collector Express, 1990, Issue 7, p. 234, and Lexikon Kursächsische Postmeilensäulen , p. 51, transpress Verlag, 1989, ISBN 3-344-00264-3
  2. ^ Lexicon Kursächsische Postmeilensäulen , p. 52, transpress Verlag, 1989, ISBN 3-344-00264-3
  3. ^ Justus Friedrich Wilhelm Zachariae: Poetic Writings, Volume 1 - 1770