... SPECIAL DOUBLE ISSUE ... MAY-AUGUST 2020 Issue # 458D MAY-AUGUST 2020 458D-2 New Issues Europa 2020 Ancient Postal Routes SWEDEN ss FAROE ISLANDS 2v Issue date 30 April 2020 Issue date 27 April 2020 Old postal roads are a common theme for the countries within PostEurop. Long before all households in Sweden were given the right to receive mail several days a week, there were fixed mail routes. The one between Stockholm The following is excerpted from Posta, Faroe and Hamburg is one of the oldest and was an Islands: important link for news distribution to and Postal routes in the Faroe Islands have always from the continent. — from Postnord.se (Swedish Post) been difficult and challenging. Formidable Note: Only the first two stamps have the Euro- mountains had to be climbed and deceptive pa logo. straits crossed to deliver the mail - and some- times things went very wrong. DENMARK ss One of the most challenging postal routes on Issue date 11 May 2020 land was Klaksvík - Viðareiði, requiring hardy mail carriers to vanquish one of the most inac- cessible mountain areas in the Faroe Islands. In November 1887, the first Faeroese postman fell off a cliff to his death. His route is marked in yellow. A few decades later, two postmen survived a heavy snowstorm by building a shelter of rocks, then tearing it down and rebuilding it to stay warm. They survived. The red line on the map indicates the route they travelled. Quoting from Linn’s Stamp news: According to information from PostNord, the The second stamp pictures the route to Vest- Europa souvenir sheet “focuses on Christian manna - Vágar islands. A treacherous strait IV’s establishment of the post office in 1624 claimed many boats and lives. The small and Denmark’s first post route between Co- proud mailboat "Ólavur" is still at anchor in penhagen and Altona/Hamburg.” Vestmanna, well maintained and fully func- Note: The central stamp does not have the Eu- tional despite its 90th anniversary this year. ropa logo. MAY-AUGUST 2020 458D-3 New Issues Europa 2020 Ancient Postal Routes GERMANY ss of 1 “wet-adhesive” stamp LUXEMBOURG 2v Issue date 7 May 2020 Issue date 9 June 2020 Four main postal routes were established un- der Charles V in 1516 to improve postal con- nections. One of them, the Wiener route, also ran through Luxembourg. These new postal Leading in the gradual establishment of a reg- services were available not only to rulers but ulated European postal system was the de also to private citizens. At the end of 1680, Tasso courier family, who came from Lom- Luxembourg was included as a branch in the bardy and was called Thurn and Taxis in 1650. Brussels/Vienna route, thus improving the let- ter traffic between Luxembourg and Brussels. In 1490, the Roman-German king and later In 1701 the postal routes were officially estab- emperor Maximilian I commissioned the lished. Thus, Luxembourg received postal con- brothers Janetto and Francesco de Tasso to set nections with all its neighboring countries. up a regular postal service. This Dutch postal — from Post Luxembourg course, on which letters from Innsbruck Note: set side by side, as above, the stamps (where Maximilian I's main residence was lo- form a contiguous design. —ed. cated) could be sent to the Netherlands and to Italy, is considered the first permanently oper- SLOVENIA 2v ated, centrally organized postal route in the Holy Roman Empire and the year 1490 as the Issue date 29 May 2020 founding year of the modern European postal system. The Imperial Post Office was founded in the 16th century and was also run by the de Tasso family. Around 1800, all Central European cities were connected by regular postal cours- es, but no longer only by the Imperial Post Of- fice, which had repeatedly had to cede routes to imperial post and regional post offices. — from Deutsche Post The stamp shows a typical Postrider. The Shown are an old postal carriage, and a postil- sheet margins depict the various towns served, lion (post rider with a postal horn in his hand). and a metro-style map of the early postal This postillion became a synonym for the post- routes. –ed. man bringing joyful news. — from the PostEurop website MAY-AUGUST 2020 458D-4 New Issues Europa 2020 Ancient Postal Routes FRANCE 1v French ANDORRA 1v Issue date Issue date 11 May 2020 12 May 2020 Briska Post Trunk and Post Roads The history of the roads of France was also Since the end of the 18th century, the delivery that of the post roads from the moment when of mail from the valleys of Andorra was as- the royal power, wishing to ensure the rapid signed to the post office of La Seu d'Urgell, circulation of official dispatches, established where the nearest roadway passed from An- the Post Office for horses in the middle of the dorra. Between 1837 and 1870, letters from 14th century. This organization is based on and to Andorra passed through L'Hospitalet- two emblematic businesses and a private in- près-l'Andorre by stagecoach via Ax-les- frastructure: postillions accompany bags of Thermes. The long journey took eleven and a mails and couriers; post masters, who paid half hours. The porter took the letters in the dearly for the privilege of holding official post relay at L'Hospitalet and transported them on relays positioned every seven leagues. This foot to Andorra via the ports of Envalira and system determines post routes, frequently Soldeu. In 1870 the intermediate stage of Ax mapped since 1632, and maintained by engi- was eliminated. The visual of the stamp is in- neers since 1747. spired by an old map showing the route of the Radiating first in a star from Paris, the net- postal route which linked L'Ospitalet to An- work had 27 destinations in 1790, with trans- dorra la Vella. — from La Poste verse links connecting the main cities of the kingdom, up to around forty routes. This road network is still legible across a number of na- MONACO 1v tional motorways today. On these express- Issue date 6 May 2020 ways, galloping is primarily the prerogative of the "stationary" routes, accessible to travelers since 1794: there were 4,000 in 1815 and 60,000 in 1829! At the heart of the 19th centu- ry, average speeds of 12 to 14 km per hour were reached. The stamp represents a messenger responsible for delivering mail in the 18th century. The These ancient routes made for truly adven- background is a view of the Rocher (Rock of turesome conditions, including season- Monaco) at the time. al discomfort and other imponderables. From — from Monaco Office des Timbres the wheelbarrow pulled by a horse, to trunks without shock absorbers and on two wheels, to the Briska model of the 1830s equipped with a convertible, postal vehicles always knew how Time to vote for your favorite Europa stamp. to find the relay light lit during the night, be- Go to posteurop.org/europa2020 cause "the post office suffered no interrup- to cast your vote. tion ... “ — from La Poste MAY-AUGUST 2020 458D-5 New Issues Europa 2020 Ancient Postal Routes SPAIN 1v issued in Spanish ANDORRA 1v a ms of 6v as shown Issue date 23 April 2020 Issue date 23 April 2020 The mountainous topography of Andorra has always impacted communications with the ex- terior; now add the harsh winter climate, which could sometimes cut off the territory for months, and the dispersed and isolated habi- tat of its population. However, nature also provided a way of com- munication via the Valira river bed, which connects the towns of Andorra la Vella and La Seu d'Urgell. Post pedestrians, who carried In Spain, postal routes go back to times of the correspondence on the back of their mules, Roman Empire, who took advantage of previ- traveled this first route, maintaining commu- ous routes of Tartessos, Phoenicians and pre- nication between the two towns. Roman peoples to build their network of roads where official mail or cursus publicus would In 1730, La Seu had its own post office to circulate. channel mail, from the Principality to the val- + leys of Andorra. Between 1750 and 1780 it was After the Middle Ages, the Renaissance decided that the person in charge of the post brought the rebirth of postal routes thanks to at the Consell General should offer an unoffi- the genius of Francisco de Tassis, who man- cial mail delivery and collection service to the aged to articulate the first postal network at a towns in the valleys. European level. Felipe el Hermoso knew how to take advantage of deTassis’ skills by ap- In 1877, Spain appointed Tomás Rossell i pointing him Master of Posts, thus establish- Moles as official manager, who in addition to ing one of the foundations of the Hispanic selling stamps for use in the Principality, col- Monarchy. lected and delivered the correspondence from La Seu. This structure remained until 1927, The road network that began taking shape when a Royal Order created, in Andorra la found its impetus in the reforms of the Bour- Vella, a Central Administration with Post Of- bon dynasty, in which portions of roads were fice staff made up of six postmen and several conditioned and paved, post houses were built, pedestrians. Thanks to the completion of a and the Real Casa de Correos was built, kilo- road in 1913, it was even possible to drive by meter zero of the network of postal routes that car from Andorra la Vella to La Seu d'Urgell.