Gallery

 

History of the builders of the Marienkirche

Postal Activity In Early danzig ---ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA; WHO WAS FIRST?
Danzig was a very prominent city in the 16th century, excelling in exports, mainly in its grain trade. Having pledged allegiance to the Polish king, Zigmunt the Elder in 1526, Danzig received special municipal privileges, assuring the city’s continued economic progress It was truly Danzig’s Golden Age

According to A. S. Bercstynski, Danzig organized its own postal system, based on royal privileges, that provided service between the city and other Polish territories and foreign countries. This account by Adam S. Berestynski appeared in Global Slump News of August, 1996, citing the organization of mail service from the Polish viewpoint.

The Prussian system was outlined in LTC Herman L. Halle’s account in Danzig Report No. 111, listing Stolzenberg as the earliest post office in the West Prussian area. An ad showed the date to be 1.10.1772.

The photo at the right, made in July of 2001, shows what is left of the first building. We shouldn’t have been surprised, since the account by Halle states that, in 1807, the city of Stolzenberg was burned to the ground by order of the city fathers of Danzig in order to provide a better defenscive position. Nothing remained of Stolzenberg and its post office [see DR- 112])

Berestynski continues: The city became famous for its manufacturing of gold jewelry, fine furniture….and clocks. Ii monopolized the entire Polish trade going by the sea Gdansk organized its own post...

By the year 1585 [NOTE!] The city had 10 postal carriages and 2 equestrian couriers. Postal messengers wore uniforms with the city’s coat of arms, and carried special postal bags. Regular postal routes included one between Gdansk - Torum — Poznan — and Wroclaw, and another between Gdansk— Szczecin – and Hamburg Special postal regulations were issued in 1604, one of them stating that route Gdansk - Wroclaw (about 300 mile.) must be covered within 9 days in summer and 11 days in winter.

So there you have the ‘facts’. Which of the accounts is an editor supposed to believe?

 

Danzig Report  Nr. 113 - October - November - December - 2001, Page 11.