Postal history and stamps of Schleswig-Holstein

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The postal history of Schleswig-Holstein is closely linked to that of Denmark and Hamburg . Until 1864, the administration of the postal system in the duchies of Schleswig , Holstein and (from 1815) Lauenburg was integrated into that of the Kingdom of Denmark. In the Gottorf parts of the duchies and during the Schleswig-Holstein War, however, there was also a separate postal system at times.

The formerly independent Hanseatic city of Lübeck had a postal system that was independent of the duchies .

Beginning of the postal service in the duchies

The Danish Duchy of Schleswig (pink) and the Roman-German Duchy of Holstein (light blue)
Schleswig and Holstein around 1650, the two duchies are divided into royal (dark orange), Gottorfian (yellow) and jointly ruled (light orange) parts (country divisions)

With the strengthening of the Danish royal power in the 16th century, a fixed postal connection was established between the central administration in Copenhagen and the duchies. Although the duchies differed in constitutional law into a Danish imperial fief (Schleswig) and a Roman-German imperial fief (Holstein), both were subject to the Danish king in personal union and, accordingly, both territories were initially subject to a postal system. Only after the Gottorf shares had been established did their own post office develop there.

Since 1555 a post boat has been operating regularly between the island of Fyn and Jutland. On December 24, 1624, the first Danish postal regulations appeared , with which the actual Danish Post ( Post Danmark ) was founded and which was also valid for the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein . In accordance with the Postal Ordinance, fixed post offices were set up in Copenhagen and Kolding. Kolding took on the task of distributing mail for the Jutland peninsula including the duchies of Schleswig (South Jutland) and Holstein. The local post offices set up on the postal routes were directed by people appointed by the respective merchant towns. The overall management of the post in the duchies was in the hands of four merchants who had given themselves the title of "post administrator". In 1640 the Danish postal system was nationalized. By 1845, permanent post offices with royal appointed postmasters were set up along the postal routes. The postal route in the duchies led via Flensburg, Schleswig, Rendsburg, Itzehoe and Glückstadt to Hamburg. There was a Danish post office in Hamburg as early as the 17th century .

Gottorf shares in the 17th century

In addition to the Danish one, a postal system was set up in the Gottorf part of the duchies in the 17th century, serving the cities of Kiel, Schleswig, Friedrichstadt, Tönning and Tønder. On November 27, 1710, the (minor) Prince Karl Friedrich von Holstein-Gottorp also issued postal regulations for the Gottorf shares through his government, for this purpose he hired postmasters and established post offices.

Merger of the gottorschen with the Danish Post in 1711

In 1711 the ducal-gottorfsche was merged with the royal-Danish postal system. Now the transport of people, letters and parcels in the kingdom and the duchies was again exclusively reserved for a single post office with a central general post office (since 1808: general post office) in Copenhagen. For the Duchy of Holstein there was a special German department within the Danish Post. In addition to the main postal routes, there were also secondary postal routes (bipostruter). From January 1, 1845 on, the post stations on the secondary postal routes were given the title of post offices (postkontorer), previously they were called bipostkontrer or hovedpostkontorer.

Schleswig-Holstein postal system 1848

Between 1848 and 1850/51 (during the Schleswig-Holstein War ), the Provisional Government of Schleswig-Holstein founded an independent German-Schleswig-Holstein postal system, which replaced the royal Danish postal administration in the duchies. The former Danish post office in Hamburg and the post offices in the duchies were also placed under the control of the Provisional Government in April 1848. Now the postage was no longer raised in Reichsbank money, but in Hamburg courant coins .

Danish period before 1864

Johann Wilhelm Cordes : Danish Post (1850s)

After the re-possession of the duchies by Denmark in July 1850, the separate postal administration of Holstein remained for the time being. In the Treaty of Oldenburg, Denmark received the exercise of the post office shelf in the Principality of Lübeck ( Eutin and Schwartau ). The three duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg as well as the Principality of Lübeck belonged to the Danish Post again. The administration of the postal system in Schleswig, Holstein and in the Duchy of Lauenburg remained integrated into that of the Kingdom of Denmark until 1864.

On July 1, 1850, Schleswig-Holstein joined the German-Austrian Postal Union , and on January 1, 1852 Lauenburg and Lübeck .

Brand images from Schleswig and Holstein

The Prussians are coming

As a result of the war between Austria and Prussia against Denmark in 1864, the postal system of the two states was divided. The Holstein went to Austria, the Schleswig to Prussia, which on January 1, 1866 also took over the postal administration in the Duchy of Lauenburg. On December 22nd, 1866, he took over the administration of the postal system throughout Schleswig-Holstein. On January 1, 1867, a Oberpostdirektion for the now Prussian Schleswig-Holstein was set up in Kiel. Finally, on January 1, 1868, all of northern Germany came under the administration of the North German Confederation . In 1876 the Oberpostdirektion in Kiel also took over the management of the telegraph stations in Schleswig-Holstein.

On January 19, 1920, the International Commission took over the regional postal system in the voting areas in the northern and central parts of Schleswig. On May 1, 1920, the Danish Post took over the postal service in Northern Schleswig, and on May 20, the Danish crown was introduced there.

Postage stamps

When the duchies were still Danish, the Danish postage stamps were also in use. On May 1, 1851, Danish brands were introduced in Schleswig, and on July 1, 1853 in Holstein and Lauenburg. The first own stamps in Holstein appeared on November 14th, 1850, they were without country designation, were calculated in Danish skilling and were only given by Holstein post offices. Then on March 1, 1864, a country post stamp was issued based on the Danish model, in both currencies. On March 10, 1864, stamps in the form of a high oval followed, with an indication of the value in the middle, the name "HERZOGTH, SCHLESWIG" is at the top, "SCHILLINGE" at the bottom, in Danish currency. Just a few days later, on April 5, 1864, another value appeared, now in Hamburger Courant, with "SCHILLING" at the bottom. The following editions differ with regard to the country name "HERZOGTH.HOLSTEIN" or "HERZOGTH.SCHLESWIG", the value and the color.

See also

literature

  • BE Crole: History of the Deutsche Post . II edition. Verlag W. Malende, Leipzig 1889. The author is Bruno Emil König from Berlin.
  • K. Schwarz (Postrat): Timeline of German postal history . RV Deckers Verlag, Berlin 1935, Volume 22 Post and Telegraphy in Science and Practice
  • Handheld dictionary of postal services . Frankfurt a. M. 1953
  • Müller-Mark: Old Germany under the microscope. 7th edition, Verlag M. Zieme, Oberursel, Volume 2
  • Society for German Postal History Schleswig-Holstein: Postal History Schleswig-Holstein. Kiel 1970
  • Historisk Samfund for Sønderjylland: Sønderjylland A-Å , Aabenraa 2011, page 301 (Postvæen)

Web links

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