page_title: Post road
section_title: Europe
hierarchical_section_title: Post road / Europe
caption_attribution_description: Europäische Postkurse 1563 nach dem Reisebuch des Giovanni da L’Herba, Skizze, mit handschriftlicher Korrektur bei Cannstadt, möglicherweise von einem Archivar des Thurn-und-Taxis-Archivs Regensburg
context_page_description: A post road is a road designated for the transportation of postal mail. In past centuries, only major towns had a post house and the roads used by post riders or mail coaches to carry mail among them were particularly important ones or, due to the special attention given them, became so. In various centuries and countries, post road became more or less equivalent to main road, royal road, or highway. The 20th century spread of postal service blurred the distinction.
context_section_description: Notable post roads in Europe include:
  Antwerp-Venice Post Road, similar to the Dutch Post Road.
  Bremen-Hamburg Post Road, approved by the king of Sweden on July 5, 1665 to establish regular mail service. A second route was routed from Cuxhaven through the Land of Wursten to Lehe.
  Dutch Post Road, (German: Niederländischer Postkurs) established in 1490, connected the Netherlands with coaching inns in Germany and Italy.
caption: 1563 post road map of Europe
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