Pneumatic tube networks in Germany
The pneumatic tube in Germany was in use as a public service for almost a century from 1876 to the 60s (FRG) or 70s (GDR) years of the 20th century, then regionally for post-internal shipments until the 80s (see the from 1967 to 1983 operated large pneumatic tube in Hamburg and the Post-U-Bahn Munich , which also carried pneumatic tube until 1988). From the 1960s on, pneumatic post for sending messages was increasingly replaced by telex , until fax and finally e-mail prevailed in the 1980s ; For parcel delivery, for which a single pneumatic tube operation without the simultaneous transmission of messages would have meant too much effort and costs, there was a switch back to express couriers in the 1960s.
The main motivation for the development of the pneumatic tube was the strong increase in the number of telegrams , which no longer allowed all telegrams to actually be forwarded within the city.
It also played a role that the wages of a good telegraph officer far exceeded that of an unskilled operator at the pneumatic post. Thus, in the greatest number of all cases, at least in inner-city traffic, they were sent by pneumatic tube as handwritten forms or forms with ticker strips on them. B. in Berlin since about 1900 also corresponding pneumatic post stamps.
In addition to Berlin and Munich , there were pneumatic tube systems of very different lengths in Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Hamburg , Leipzig, Stuttgart and about ten other cities , initially operated by the Reichspost and then by the Bundespost or Deutsche Post of the GDR . These shipments transported in tube posts - usually express shipments, forwarded shipments or air and express shipments forwarded within the city with a different destination - could be recognized by their specific transport and processing notes:
- Shipments transported in Düsseldorf sometimes had a time stamp on the back or had other notations such as numerator stamps and the like.
- In Hamburg transported pipe mailings showed in earlier times, optionally, a chipped front side, red transport stamp "in Hamburg with pneumatic tube" and later one minute temple of the telegraph office and / or the Eilbriefstelle.
- Pneumatic tube deliveries carried in Leipzig occasionally had a black time stamp on the front or back.
- The characteristics of pneumatic tube deliveries in cities other than those mentioned are still partly unknown.
Pneumatic post in various German cities
Pneumatic post Berlin
The pneumatic tube system was put into operation in Berlin on November 18, 1865. It was used in West Berlin until 1963 and in East Berlin until 1976.
Pneumatic post Düsseldorf
There was a short pneumatic tube connection in Düsseldorf, via which the internal transport of express letters etc. was handled. It is not known when the internal pneumatic post in Düsseldorf was put into operation.
Pneumatic post Frankfurt am Main
Like the pneumatic tube in Düsseldorf or Dresden, the pneumatic tube in Frankfurt was only intended for internal use. This made it impossible to request that shipments be transported by pneumatic tube. Express courier shipments received in Frankfurt from the 1950s are known which have an imprint of a time stamp on the front with the inscription Rohrp and the date and time. From this it can be concluded that express consignments in Frankfurt were forwarded by pneumatic tube for accelerated transport. It is not known when the internal pneumatic post in Frankfurt was put into operation, nor when it was decommissioned.
As an example, take the adjoining document from 1952:
Express long-distance letter from an RA from "(21b) Dortmund 1 \ 23.8.52. - 19" to the board of the BfG (Bank für Gemeinwirtschaft AG), founded in 1950 in Frankfurt / Main with the first Headquarters in Allerheiligenstr. 57, a parallel to the "Zeil".
After receipt at 5 o'clock in the morning at the PA 2 "(16) Frankfurt (Main) 2 \ 14.8.52-5"
to the main station "(16) Frankfurt (Main) 4 \ 14.8.52- 7"
and from there
conveyed with the internal "telegraph pneumatic tube" to the main post office 1 on the Zeil "14. VIII 52 -7 18 \ TA ABF ZEIL"
(time clock stamp on the reverse) with arrival at 7:18 am
for immediate removal by the courier "64" to the neighboring recipient two streets away.
Pneumatic post Hamburg
Pneumatic post Leipzig
In May 1912, a pneumatic tube connection between the telegraph office and the main train station (PA 17) was completed in Leipzig. There was also a junction between the telegraph office and the stock exchange (PA 9). The length of the connection was approx. 1200 m.
The incoming, through and dispatched express letters, letters to be forwarded or air mail items were conveyed through this internal pneumatic post connection for further processing. According to available reports, the top letter of a bundle of letters to be transported by pneumatic tube was stamped with the Leipzig pneumatic tube stamp. This procedure could be repeated on arrival, so that letters with two impressions of the pneumatic tube clock stamp (one each on the front and back) appear. Minute stamps of the Berlin pneumatic post stamp type are also known from shipments from the 1930s that were conveyed by pneumatic tube in Leipzig. These were probably used as an alternative to the time clock stamps.
Pneumatic post Munich
Postage
1876 to 1921
On December 1, 1876, the pneumatic tube network was opened for public transport in Berlin. In addition to telegrams, letters up to 10 g at 30 pfennigs and postcards at 25 pfennigs were permitted. The express delivery fee was already included in the postage. Envelopes and postcards with stamps printed on them on light red paper were kept ready. Since January 1, 1877, the shipments have also been forwarded outside of Berlin via the pneumatic tube network. In addition to the pneumatic post fee, the usual postage had to be paid, for letters (up to 10 g) at 30 + 10 = 40 pfennigs or for postcards at 25 + 5 = 30 pfennigs. After leaving the network, the items were to be treated as normal. Express letters were to be delivered by express mail at the destination. It was not the posting post office that had to enclose the express letter, but the railway mail. Since March 3, 1877, shipments from outside Berlin could be posted for delivery in the pneumatic tube network. They were to be marked with the comment "Pneumatic Post". In these cases, too, the usual postage had to be paid in addition to the pneumatic tube fee. As an experiment, on April 12, 1877, tube postcards at 25 + 25 = 50 Pf. The first pneumatic tube regulations for Berlin appeared on August 6, 1903. The weight of the letters has been increased to 20 g. The pneumatic tube district of Berlin includes the order districts of the post offices in Berlin, Charlottenburg, Friedenau, Halensee, Plötzensee , Rixdorf, Schöneberg, Westend within the Charlottenburg district and Wilmersdorf. Pneumatic post deliveries are delivered from the pneumatic post office, including those from outside, by special couriers. For shipments outside of Germany, express delivery could be requested for a fee. The following items were not permitted as pneumatic mail: Unpaid or insufficiently franked items. Valuable, registered and cash on delivery items as well as letters with a certificate of delivery. For shipments that were only partially transported by pneumatic tube, a fee was charged for pneumatic tube transport in addition to the standard postage. A surcharge of 10 pfennigs was levied for unstamped items.
Between April 1, 1916 and October 1, 1919, pneumatic post deliveries were subject to the Reich tax of 5 Pf. From May 6, 1920, pneumatic post deliveries with insufficient or insufficient postage were charged twice the shortfall and a surcharge of £ 10, which was increased to £ 30 on April 1, 1921.
1921 to 1945
Note on the change in pneumatic tube fees from April 1, 1921:
"Pneumatic letters and pneumatic postcards, some of which are to be transported outside of the pneumatic tube network, are not subject to any additional charges, even for long-distance transport. They are to be treated like express mail. The local express order fee is included in the fees. In the case of express orders to rural locations without a post office, the additional amount of 1.50 marks is to be collected from the sender. If the sender has not paid in advance, the difference between the local express order fee of 1.50 marks and the actual delivery costs must be collected from the recipient. "
Since July 1, 1922, “the fee for a pneumatic tube shipment is no longer based on whether the shipment remains in the pneumatic tube district, but rather on whether or not it exceeds the scope of the local postage fee for Greater Berlin. The pneumatic tube consignments which are transported beyond the borders of Greater Berlin will be subject to higher fees in future than those that are delivered and have to be delivered within Greater Berlin. The fee for express orders in the local delivery district is included in the rates; for delivery in the country ordering district, the difference between the fee rates for local and country delivery is charged according to the postal regulations ”.
On July 1, 1922, a pneumatic tube was opened in Munich, and items weighing up to 100 g were permitted. From October 1, 1922 on:
"For the transport of pneumatic mail items of the same type in the local ordering district of the destination post office, the following is charged: the fee for the normal local or long-distance mail plus the express order fee for a letter mail in the local delivery district and a surcharge for pneumatic transport in the amount of the fee for a local letter or for a Local postcard. ”Or“ a) if the place of posting and destination are within the scope of the local postage fee for Greater Berlin, 1.50 + 6 + 1.50 = 9 marks for the pneumatic postcard; For the pneumatic tube letter 2 + 6 + 2 = 10 marks, if the place of posting or the destination is outside the area of application of the local letter fee of Greater Berlin, for the pneumatic tube postcard 3 + 6 + 1.50 = 10.50 marks, for the pneumatic tube letter 6+ 6 + 2 = 14 Marks. ”For postcards with an answer, which were only allowed in Munich, double the postcard fee was charged. The pneumatic tube regulations (RGBl. IS 303) on July 1, 1923 determined the fees as follows:
"For the transport of pneumatic mail items and their delivery in the local delivery district of the destination post office, the following is charged: 1. the fee for normal local or long-distance letters of the same type plus the express delivery fee for letters in the local delivery district and 2. a surcharge for pneumatic tube transport in the amount the fee for a location letter of the same weight or for a location postcard. For delivery in the rural delivery district, the difference between the fee rates for express delivery in the local and rural delivery district is also charged according to the postal regulations. - Pneumatic post deliveries are treated like express deliveries when transported outside the pneumatic post districts. "
Since August 1, 1927, a surcharge of 10 pfennigs and an express delivery fee, indicated as a total fee, had to be levied for pneumatic mail deliveries, in addition to the standard postage. Since August 22, 1933, normal letters could be transported with the pneumatic tube in Berlin or Munich in order to be connected to a railway post, surcharge 10 Pf. On July 15, 1938 pneumatic tube shipments were included in the postal order. The reason for this was the "Ordinance to amend and supplement the postal regulations of February 27, 1934". At the same time, the pneumatic post order of May 30, 1923 was repealed. Paragraph V dealt with the fee: “V. For pneumatic post deliveries, a pneumatic post surcharge is levied in addition to the other fees. If the consignment is to be delivered to the recipient by express couriers, the express delivery fee (§ 24) must also be paid. "
Since August 1, 1938, this has also been the case in occupied and annexed Austria for pneumatic tubes in Vienna.
Pneumatic letter from November 26, 1940 from Rößwein to Vienna 77 in poste restante with prepaid fee for pneumatic tube transport Vienna.
Back of the same letter with various pneumatic tube stamps from November 27, 1940.
After 1945
The pneumatic tube service was not resumed after Germany's surrender on June 1, 1945. On March 1, 1949, the express postal service was introduced as a replacement in Berlin. Ordinary letters and parcels weighing up to 2 kg to recipients in West Berlin were permitted. “ When the" Post Schnelldienst "was replaced by the" Rohrpost Schnelldienst "on December 1, 1951, the maximum weight was 100 g. The dispatch of parcels was excluded. Since April 16, 1951, local couriers have been waiting for urgent parcels. “[G. Capricorn]
The official gazettes report on the resumption in Munich on April 1, 1953 and the, initially tentative, admission on May 19, 1953 in Berlin. The pneumatic tube surcharge was given as 15 pfennigs. In an ordinance of June 22, 1954, we read that mass printed matter may not be transported by pneumatic tube. In the postal regulations of March 1, 1963, the type of mail item "Pneumatic Post" was no longer included.
Identification of pneumatic tube deliveries
Colours
The characteristic color of pneumatic tube deliveries in Berlin and Munich was the color pink. The postcards and envelopes that the Deutsche Reichspost had been issuing since 1876 for delivery by pneumatic tube were in this color. It was only in the 1920s that this color pattern was deviated from and the lettering of the shipments was left with the words pneumatic post card , pneumatic post letter or pneumatic post .
Colored markings
Since the pneumatic post operation began, the shipments have mostly been identified by handwritten digits and abbreviations, which indicate the post offices where the shipments are to be used and, where applicable, the routes. These were initially in the color blue, then later in the color red. The express postal service in Berlin used the color green for handwritten identification of the items.
Sticky notes for Berlin, Munich and Vienna
On April 9, 1936, a special sticker made of transparent glassine paper with the inscription Pneumatic Post / and Eilbote as well as another made of the same material with the inscription Pneumatic Post was issued to identify the shipments. At the same time there was a return to the issue of pneumatic postcards in the color salmon to pink with red stamps.
The German pneumatic tube stickers in the drawing from 1936 were also used in the pneumatic tube sector in Vienna after 1945 because they still had sufficient numbers of corresponding identification labels after the war. It is not known whether these stickers were also in stock in post offices outside of Berlin, Munich and Vienna. Since 1940, for reasons of communication strategy during the war, the presumption was launched that the Schwabacher script used here (previously always regarded as "the German script" with considerable ideological value) was made in the 18th century by a script cutter of Jewish origin (hence "Judenschwabacher "Or" Schwabacher Judenschrift ") was invented. (In fact, the Schwabacher came from the 15th century.) For this reason, Hitler forbade the use of this font, especially on documents of a state character, in the so-called “Schrifterlaß” on January 3, 1941. The reason: In the occupied territories, people could not read the orders placed and printed in Schwabacher. Since Hitler had polemicized against Fraktur / Schwabacher early on in party congress speeches and always preferred the antiqua because of its better legibility and therefore propagandistic effectiveness, new stickers were now printed in an antiqua font despite the precarious war situation, but these were rarely used. In March 1945, the large post offices in Berlin had corresponding sticky notes in Schwabach script.
Sticker used since 1936 to identify pneumatic tube deliveries in Berlin and Munich and possibly Vienna, which were also to be delivered by express courier.
Sticker used since 1936 to identify pneumatic tube deliveries in Berlin and Munich and possibly Vienna.
Sticker placed in an Antiqua to identify pneumatic post deliveries in Berlin and Munich until pneumatic post was discontinued.
Sticky notes in Prague
In Prague, purple sticky notes with reference to the pneumatic tube ( potrubní poštou ) have been used since the CSR became independent . These were still used in Prague after the occupation of the Sudetenland and the Czech Republic, although they were monolingual Czech. Adhesive notes in pink, which were bilingual and were also used in Bohemia & Moravia (Czech Republic), had been used since around 1942. Such sticky notes for the combination of pneumatic tube and express delivery are known: "Pneumatic post / and express delivery / Potrubní poštou / a spěšně". At the same time, bilingual purple sticky notes with the inscription Mit Rohrpost / potrubní poštou were produced and used. The "problem" of the Schwabacher script did not exist or no longer existed here, as these stickers only came into circulation after the decision against the Schwabacher and the Schwabacher script (in contrast to German-speaking Switzerland, for example) had no tradition of its own in CSR.
Bilingual German-Czech sticky note from the Prague pneumatic tube from the occupation from 1942 to 1945 (Reich Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia), which were intended for delivery by pneumatic tube in Prague
Sticker to identify shipments during the German occupation until 1945 (Reich Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia), which was intended for delivery by pneumatic tube in Prague in combination with express delivery to the destination
Local letter by pneumatic tube, express mail and registered mail in Prague from October 8, 1942 at a postage rate of 10 kroner = 1 RM.
Sticky notes from the express service in Berlin
When the express postal service began operating in the western sectors of Berlin on March 1, 1949, a green sticker with the white inscription Postschnelldienst / Berlin was issued, which was later replaced by a green sticker with the white inscription Rohrpost / Schnelldienst . With the conversion of the express postal service to a normal pneumatic express delivery service from 1955, the old stickers from 1936 were put into use again, as was the case with the East Berlin pneumatic post.
Cancellations
Postmarks on pneumatic tube deliveries were a further identification feature. In the pneumatic tube districts of Berlin and Vienna, day or special postmarks with hour and minute information, usually at ten-minute intervals, were used at the affiliated post offices.
The purpose of stamping the pneumatic post was to document to the minute at what time the shipment was accepted and forwarded according to the schedule. This was awkward with the early dies that the moveable elements were put into. As soon as punches with rotatable elements were used, this process could be accelerated so that the time group could be changed first every 15 minutes, then every 10 minutes and finally every 5 minutes. The minute-by-minute documentation of the handling of the shipment became possible when the time clock was introduced. Here a clock mechanism drove the time group of the stamp, whereby a precise time setting of the stamp was guaranteed without further human intervention.
Punches with a 5-minute setting are known from Paris .