In Alsfeld the post is off!Alsfeld as a post station

In the days when written documents were transmitted over long distances by mounted messengers or stagecoaches, functional intermediate stations were of great importance. The clients – usually the authorities – expected not only punctuality but, above all, reliability. It is known that Landgrave Philip established a “relay post” to his residence in Kassel in 1541 on the occasion of his participation in the religious colloquy in Regensburg. In the 16th century, the exchange of information between the state government and the cities also relied on messenger services. The first long-distance stagecoach connection was organized by the Taxis family on the Vienna-Brussels route.

In the 17th century, route expansions occurred throughout Hesse. As early as 1690, Alsfeld was granted a station on the Frankfurt – Leipzig route. With the treaty of 1715 between the Hessian Landgrave Ernst Ludwig and Saxe-Weimar, a “Hessian-Saxon Joint Carriage Course” (Sammtwagenkurs) was agreed upon, which ran from Frankfurt to Eisenach via Alsfeld and established a post station here.

The postmaster was Hans Jakob Ramspeck. In 1770, this function passed to the Knierim family. The post office building was located at Obergasse 14 until 1885. (NH)