Mail shelf
The post rack , also postal law (jus postarum) , was a sovereign right ( shelf ) of the king or ruler for exclusive mailing. This included u. a. setting up posts and ordering postmasters .
history
In most developed countries, the mail shelf became a sovereign task and was closely linked to the postal compulsion , the duty of everyone to use only the state post for certain types of mail.
While in the course of the 19th century, with the development of the railroad and steamship, the transport of people and goods fell out of the remit of the state post offices , the postal monopoly on letters , parcels and periodically printed documents remained .
The mail shelf was practiced differently in the countries of Europe, Asia and America. There was both the sole transport of mail by the state post offices and the state licensing to private companies. The mail shelf was later expanded to include telegraphs .
The state or state-licensed monopoly in the postal and telecommunications system was retained in most countries until the late 20th century . After that, privatization began worldwide .
The last remnant of the post office shelf in Germany is the issuing of a license for mail transport up to 1,000 g by the Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railways in accordance with Section 5 (1) of the Postal Act .
