Postillon
The Postillon ( French , in German also Postillion ) was the team leader of a horse and cart that was used with a stagecoach in the postal service for the carriage of letters and people.
Surname
Up until the 17th century, the German expression “Postknecht” or “ Postreiter ” was used for people riding individually who only had the task of conveying letters . Already after the Thirty Years' War the designation postillon prevailed for them, as can be seen, for example, from the Trier city pensioner accounts.
The term brother-in-law , which is known for a postillon from the song “ High on the yellow carriage” from the phrase “… I sit with my brother- in -law in front”, comes from the Swiss city of Chur , which used to be a main junction on the Alpine road. The Italian postillon who rode the saddle horse was called chevalier ; it became Schewalger in Swiss German and later brother-in-law in German .
Rider in the uniform of a Royal Saxon postilion with fur iron around 1850
RS Zimmermann : Badischer Postillon (1870)
Clothing and equipment
The postilion wore uniformed clothing and carried a post horn or, for a time in the 19th century, a post trumpet. This made it clear and, if necessary, audible that he was authorized to accept mail and that he had priority when using the transport routes , ferries and bridges . The postillons were hired and paid for by the post office keepers ; however, the postal administrations had a right of veto , especially since they also provided the uniform.
Reception in literature and music
The term postillon d'amour ( messenger of love) is derived from the quality of the postilion as a messenger ; it describes a carrier of oral or written messages between lovers .
Literary and musical monuments are for example Lenau's poem Der Postillon ( May night was lovely ) or Adolphe Adam's opera Der Postillon by Lonjumeau . In particular, the folk song High on the yellow wagon represents a journey by stagecoach.
Historical uniforms on postage stamps
Prussian Feldpostillon (1760) on a 25 + 10 Pfennig - special stamp of the Federal Post Office Berlin (1955)
Prussian Postillon (around 1827), on a 20 + 10 Pf special stamp of the Bundespost Berlin (1954)
Saxon Postillion (around 1850) on a 10 Pfennig special stamp of the GDR Post (1986)
Postillon of the Reichspost (1897 to 1925) on a 20 pfennig special stamp of the Bundespost Berlin (1957)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Concise dictionary of the postal system , 1st supplement to the 2nd edition; Bundesdruckerei 1956, p. 165