Universal Postal Congress 1874

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I. Universal Postal Congress
Venue Bern , Rathaus zum Äusseren Stand , Switzerland
Period September 15 to October 9, 1874
Duration 25 days
Doyen Eugène Borel
Member countries 22nd
Participating countries 22nd
Delegates 33 + 9 attachés
proposals 14th

The constituent meeting of the Universal Postal Union , then known as the “General Postal Union” , took place in Bern between September 15 and October 9, 1874 , making it the first Universal Postal Congress . The representatives of 22 countries met under the chairmanship of Federal Councilor Eugène Borel , who was then head of the Federal Department of Postal and Railways.

In the festively decorated hall in the town hall on the outer stand , the representatives of the 22 countries (actually there were only 21 countries, since Austria-Hungary was one country at the time) discussed the draft contract for the establishment of a general postal association of the German general postal director Heinrich von Stephan . The Universal Postal Treaty was ratified on October 9, 1874 and entered into force on July 1, 1875. This makes it one of the oldest international organizations , only the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine from 1815 and the International Telecommunication Union from 1865 are older.

Participating countries and delegates

42 delegates from 21 countries officially attended the congress:

The 42 participants in the congress; the country is indicated at the top, the surname at the bottom of the respective oval (in the center: Eugène Borel). The means of mail transport (ship, carrier pigeon, balloon, carriage and train) of that time are used in a decorative clockwise direction.
Founding congress in the German Reichsanzeiger
  1. Egypt ( dynasty of Muhammad Ali ): Muzzi Bey and Chioffi
  2. Belgium : Vinchent, J. Gife and M. Fassiaux
  3. Denmark : Dr. Fenger
  4. German Empire : Heinrich von Stephan , Karl Johann Wilhelm Günther as delegate and Robert Julius Hagemann as alderman
  5. Kingdom of Greece : A. Mansolas and AH Bétant
  6. Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) : Com.dr Tantesio
  7. Luxembourg : V. De Roebe
  8. Netherlands : Baron B. Sweerts de Landas Wyborgh; Hofstede
  9. Norway : C. Oppen
  10. Austria-Hungary : Wilhelm Freiherr von Kolbensteiner , Franz Pilhal , P. Heim and M. Gervay
  11. Portugal : De Castel-Branco and Eduardo Lessa
  12. Kingdom of Romania : George F. Lavovari
  13. Russian Empire : Baron de Velho and Georges Poggenpohl
  14. Sweden : Adolf Wilhelm Roos
  15. Switzerland : Wilhelm Matthias Naeff , Eugène Borel , Joachim Heer ( Landammann of the Canton of Glarus ). Senior Post Secretary Abraham Alexander Steinhäuslin and L. M. Fuchs, Senior Post Controller in Bern, took part in the negotiations as assigned officials. The secretaries of the congress were Edmund Höhn (1838–1899), then head of the main department of the Oberpostdirektion, and Camille Delessert (1835–1919), district postal controller from 1877 to 1919 district postal director in Lausanne.
  16. Kingdom of Serbia : Mladen Z. Radojkovich
  17. Spain : Angel Mansi and Emilio C. de Navasques
  18. Ottoman Empire (Turkey) : Yanco Macridi
  19. United Kingdom : WJ Page and Mac Lean
  20. United States of America : Joseph H. Blackfan and Rambusch
  21. France : Besnier (France was represented at the founding congress, but could only join after the approval of the National Assembly on January 1, 1876).

decisions

In addition to the main decision to found a general postal association, international cooperation between postal authorities and the framework for cross-border postal traffic were regulated. Bern, with the newly created International Office , was chosen as the headquarters of the Universal Postal Union .

Regulations have been made for letters , postcards , printed matter and newspapers in the postal sector . The use of postage stamps from the country of posting was mandatory; unstamped items were charged double the fee. The transit fee has been reduced. So the congress was a work of understanding that should point to the future. The idea of ​​the public benefit of cheaper transport without fearful sovereignty claims of the individual states had prevailed.

literature

  • Heinrich von Stephan : Memorandum, regarding the general post-congress. Official Journal No. 15, August 3, 1871, pp. 154–156
  • Concise dictionary of the postal system :
    • 1st edition; 1926: pp. 683-684
    • 2nd Edition; 1953: p. 780 (same article as in the 1st edition with additions)
    • 1st supplement to the 2nd edition; 1956: Erwin Müller-Fischer: Timeline for the history of the postal system
  • History of the Deutsche Post
    • Volume 3: History of the Deutsche Reichspost 1871 to 1945 by Karl Sautter ; Federal Printing Office; Frankfurt; 1951
  • Archive for German Postal History (Ed .: German Society for Postal and Telecommunications History ):
    • Marc Moser: 100 years of the Universal Postal Union; Part 1 in volume 1/1974 and part 2 in volume 1/1975

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ s: contract concerning the establishment of a general postal association
  2. ^ Treaty Concerning the Formation of a General Postal Union: Signed at Berne, October 9, 1874 . US Government Printing Office, 1875, p. 37.
  3. ^ Marc Moser: 100 Years of the Universal Postal Union; in: Archive for German Postal History (Ed .: DGPT); Issue 1/1974; P. 24
  4. ^ Marc Moser: 2nd part; P. 24
  5. ^ Marc Moser: 2nd part; P. 29