Coaching inn

Originally a coaching one called since the foundation of the post in 1490, a relay station at a post exchange, where the riders and horses changed while the closed and sealed Post Felleisen was passed like a relay.

Another object of the post stations was to provide couriers and postal travelers with entitlement horses and an escort to the nearest exchange station available, which were referred from the perspective of travelers as " posting ".

In the near post stations often were for catering so-called food depots and for the operation necessary trades such as blacksmith and wheelwright.

Origins

Even the Roman state post established their main bases at important trade and transport locations ( mansiones, later stationes ), which served to rest and stay of travelers during the night and usually each a day's journey were apart. Between two Mansiones six to eight Mutationes for the change of horses were. The provision of post-horses was incumbent on the inhabitants of the concerned post office and formed a heavy drudgery.

Fixed postal stations

After the founding of the post in 1490, the post riders were initially housed together with their horses in hostels since the post taught courses for the whereabouts of Maximilian I., and often consisted of only short-term. With the final establishment of permanent postal courses no later than the reign of Charles V. also firm postal stations emerged. Larger post offices, the forerunner of the post offices, were under the postmasters who operated in the parlance of the ( Thurn und ) Taxis Imperial Imperial post were referred to as " post manager " or clerks. Pure horse changing stations, however, were under the post holders. To check that the given riding times were met hour passes, where the head of the postal stations noted the arrival and clearance times a courier served. Certain signals that have been blown to the post horn, announced the Postreiter or Postillons before its arrival at the post office their arrival in order to the change of horses was made faster.

As cities at night the gates closed and the post horsemen rode day and night, the postal stations were initially in dirt villages like Flamisoul and Rheinhausen or cities outside the city walls, such as in Augsburg, to ensure rapid clearance.

Privileges

Postal stations were exempt from taxes and compulsory labor, and were under the protection of the emperor or territorial lords. An early document of this is a document of Queen Mary of Hungary, regent of the Netherlands, dated 29 September 1531., Where they confirmed the postmaster of Casteau at Mons that he, like the other Imperial " items" (post holder ) from any tax, salt tax, wine duties, demurrage and other charges was freed.

Neutrality

Postal stations were in times of war as neutral and to request a Salvaguardia, which should protect them from enemy attacks. Nevertheless, there were incidents and looting over and over again, such as in 1675, which Emperor Leopold I led to a decree on April 23, 1675. After the territorial rulers should protect the postal stations better, so again not something geschähe as in Lieser:

Plaque over the entrance of the inn " Zum Roten Hirsch" in a hurry Castle, a former post

Former blacksmith and inn with a post station in Schweinfurt earth ( Panschwitz -Kuckau ) as part of the Via Regia of Bautzen in Upper Lusatia in Saxony

Electorate of Saxony postal station on the market in Zary ( Sorau ) in Poland with Royal Saxon stagecoach

A former coaching inn on the present Federal Road B1/B5 west of Muencheberg (Land Brandenburg)