Extract

Klaus BEYRER

In Germany as well as in other countries of Central Europe the stage coach traffic follows a normal evolution. After the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) the sovereign principalities established their own sovereign postal organizations. The State and private monopolies ensured links and guaranteed transport services on numerous routes. The regular mail coach service’s effect was that travelling was institutionalized. The ordinary stage coach operated on the basis of a timetable ensuring a regular and reasonably priced service at fixed times independent of fluctuations in demand for service. Around the mid-18th century, the routes and in some places even the timetables were coordinated to establish a network of services.

But it was not before the early 19th century as the stagecoach system became part of a revolutionary progression. The highly sophisticated system of express coaches and mail services introduced in 1821 allowed the travel time on the national routes to be halved. Following the French example, the passenger services were raised to the level of the courier services so that the passengers were now transported as fast as the mounted postal services. This meant that the time at the stations was limited as much as possible: five minutes for changing horses, 10 to 15 minutes for the passengers at the central stations. Conductors, equipped with a pocket watch and timetable, strictly supervised adherence to the schedules. On the route from Berlin to Hamburg the express postal services reduced the old travelling time between 85...