page_title: Deutsche Bundespost Berlin
section_title: Historical background
hierarchical_section_title: Deutsche Bundespost Berlin / Historical background
caption_attribution_description: English: stamp series, men of the history of Berlin II, Ernst Reuter (1889-1953) Deutsch: Briefmarkenserie Männer aus der Geschichte Berlins II, Ernst Reuter (1889-1953) Graphics by Degner Ausgabepreis: 10 Pfennig First Day of Issue / Erstausgabetag: 29. September 1958 Michel-Katalog-Nr: 165
context_page_description: The Deutsche Bundespost Berlin was the name used on the stamps of West Berlin. It sounds similar to the name of the Western German Mail services Deutsche Bundespost and was de facto a dependency of it. De jure, it was independent and was called Landespostdirektion Berlin. The governmental agency to provide mail and telecommunication services for West Berlin. This civil service agency was in operation from 1949 until 1990.
context_section_description: With the end of World War II in 1945, the Allied Control Commission replaced the German government. Germany was divided into four occupation zones, and Berlin into four sectors; the territories east of the Oder-Neisse were placed under Polish authority. Initially Berlin and the provinces in the Soviet zone issued their own stamps (see Scott # 11N2), but by 1946 "Deutsche Post" stamps were authorized that were valid in the American, British, and Soviet zones.
  When the negotiations about a general German currency reform broke down, the western zones proceeded with the currency reform, and on June 21, 1948, the Deutsche Mark was introduced. In response, the east German currency reform was set for June 24, 1948, the East German Mark became the currency for the Soviet occupation zone and East Berlin, and its stamps were marked with overprints. This established the economic separation of the two German states. In July 1948, the stamps of the previously common issue were overprinted with "Soviet Occupation Zone" and subsequently the Soviet zone issued different stamps than the western zone, all, however, under the "Deutsche Post" label. West Berlin now started to issue its own stamps on September 3, 1948, initially "Berlin" overprinted common stamps of the "Deutsche Post". The Deutsche Mark (West) became the sole currency for West Berlin on March 21, 1949, and seven months later the stamps of the western bizone as well as the French occupation zone became valid as well.
  The Federal Republic of Germany was founded on May 23, 1949, and shortly thereafter, the formation of the German Democratic Republic took place on October 7, 1949. In each republic the "Deutsche Post" now became the government agency to maintain postal and telecommunication services, in West Germany the "Deutsche Post" was renamed "Deutsche Bundespost" in 1950, and in East Germany the term DP (of the GDR) was kept.
  West Berlin retained its special status as it remained under the authority of the American, British, and French occupation forces. Thus it continued to issue its own stamps, these stamps became also valid in West Germany on January 1, 1950.
caption: Ernst Reuter, mayor of West Berlin, Scott #9N150
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