page_title: Rohrpost in Berlin
section_title: Express mail service Berlin 1949 to 1955
hierarchical_section_title: Rohrpost in Berlin / History / Express mail service Berlin 1949 to 1955
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Berlin, Haupttelegrafenamt, Motorradbote 100 Jahre Haupttelegraphenamt Berlin. Am 16. August 1950 begeht das Haupttelegraphenamt in Berlin, Oranienburger-Str., sein 100 jähriges Jubiläum. Pioniertaten von weltgeschichtlicher Bedeutung gehen der Geburtsstunde des Berliner Haupttelegraphenamtes voraus und schufen erst diese technisch-hochentwickelte Nachrichtenzentrum Europas. Der berühmte Mathematiker und Physiker Carl Friedrich Gauß (1777-1855) erfand zusammen mit dem Physiker Wilhelm Weber (1804-1891) die elektrische Telegraphie. Im Jahre 1834 baute Gauß eine telegraphische Anlage, mit der zum ersten Male Zeichen durch elektrische Ströme übermittelt wurden. Werner von Siemens schuf später die Voraussetzung für die technische Weiterentwicklung der Telegraphie durch seine Erfingun des Guttaperchakabels. Heute bestehen modernste Einrichtungen im Berliner Haupttelegraphenamt. 13 Funk- und Drahtverbindungen wurden nach 1945 zwischen Berlin und dem Auslan wieder aufgenommen. Am 13. Juni 1950 wurde die Funkverbindung Berlin-Peking eröffnet. Die Steigerung der Augaben des Berliner Haupttelegraphenamtes und zugleich ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Herstellung der Einheit Deutschlands. UBz: Telegramme in die umgebende Bezirke des Haupttelegraphenamtes werden durch Kurier direkt dem Empfänger zugestellt. Aufn. Illus Sturm 19 S 99 696 Mü 7508-50 9.8.50 [Berlin.- Postbote auf BMW-Motorrad vor Haupttelegrafenamt, Schild "Rohrpost" neben Eingang"]
context_page_description: The Rohrpost in Berlin, was a pneumatic tube postal service, which existed from 18 November 1865 until 1963 in West Berlin and in East Berlin until 1976.
context_section_description: While the East Berlin pneumatic post network remained functional due to the central position of the Main Telegraph Office, the now newly established West Berlin postal administration conceived a new system of express mail. This replacement system, which was introduced on 1 March 1949, combined the remaining pneumatic tube lines with the possibility of transporting the fast mail by car, motorbike, tram, bicycle and boat. In this way, the now missing connections were bridged and West Berlin was provided with a highly efficient express mail system throughout the city: the Postschnelldienst Berlin. This was later renamed to the extent that the pneumatic post gained importance within the system and even new routes were built to Rohrpost-Schnelldienst.
  The charges for simple shipments within the express postal service were initially 1 DM-East from March 1, 1949 to March 31, 1949. Of course, one was allowed to pay in DM-West, but hardly anyone did. Therefore, postage on items sent by the express postal service in March 1949 with red-overprint stamps of Berlin or with stamps of the series Bauten I are rare. As of April 1, 1949, the West Berlin Post Office recognised DM-West as the only valid means of payment for its services, which meant that only 1 DM-West was now payable. Later, the fee was reduced to 80 Pfennig. If the postage for the express postal service was a uniform postage which was not composed of individual services, with the abolition of the express postal service a compound postage was charged again if one wanted to use the combination of pneumatic tube mail and express delivery as in the days of the express postal service. Thus, the pneumatic tube delivery cost 20 Pfennig and the express delivery fee 60 Pfennig. The fees for a local postcard of 8 Pfennig or for a local letter of the first weight level of 10 Pfennig were added. Thus the abolition of the express mail service was tantamount to a postage increase.
caption: postman on BMW motorcycle in front of the Haupttelegrafenamt on Oranienburger Straße. Sign "Rohrpost" next to entrance (1950)
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