Postage stamps and postal history of Bergedorf

Due to the stamps issued by the Bergedorf from 1861 to 1867 this small town is still present in some collector's albums as an own collection field.

Before the introduction of the first stamps

Due to its geographic location, Bergedorf received postal services from the Hanseatic league. The city's postal connections to Hamburg were especially well developed.

Since 1420 Bergedorf belonged to the Hanseatic cities of Hamburg and Lübeck. As an oddity, the federal dual belonging caused the fact, that Bergedorf's post might neither be administered by Hamburg nor Lübeck. Therefore, Bergedorf formed its own tiny autonomous postal jurisdiction. Some other principalities also established postal departments in Bergedorf. In 1746, Hannover built up its own postal department, which lasted until 1846, in Bergedorf. In 1785, the dynasty of Thurn und Taxis followed Hannover and established its own postal department, which was closed not until 1851. In 1839, Prussia opened a postal department in Bergedorf too.

From 1806 to 1813, Bergedorf was occupied by the French in the course of the Napoleonic Wars. During this time the postal system was taken over by the Royal French Post. Finally in 1847 the "Lübeck-Hamburgerische Postamt" (Postal Department of Lübeck and Hamburg) emerged from the Prussian postal department. In the following years this arrangement was extended and its region of influence enlarged. In 1856, further departments in Geesthacht and Kirchwerder were established.

From 1855 to 1856 Bergedorf closed several contracts modeled on the German-Austrian Postal Treaty, including contracts with Prussia and Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

After Hamburg and Lübeck had issued their first stamps already in 1859, Bergedorf followed them in 1861. Hamburg's stamps were officially sold besides Bergedorf's ones at the post-office counters.

Own stamp issues

On November 1, 1861 the first five definitive stamps of a value of ½, 1, 1½, 3, and 5 "Schilling" were issued in Bergedorf. These values could satisfy the postal tariffs for all distance and weight needs. At that time, only 12,000 people lived in the whole postal region. The five imperforated definitive stamps were printed when required and were valid until December 31, 1867. The stamps are designed quadratically. Besides the value, the country's name and the term "Postmarke", each stamp depicted in the middle one half each of Hamburg's and Lübeck's coats of arms.

The Bergedorf's stamp series often is referred to as a "growing series" because each value is a little bit larger than its predecessor. Thus, the 4 "Schilling" value seems twice as large as the ½ "Schilling" value. Together with the different paper colours of the values, the sizing helped distinguish the various stamps.

Coalition with Hamburg

On January 1, 1868 Bergedorf completely passed into the property of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. On this date the collective entry in the North German Confederation (the predecessor of the German Reich) took place. Since then the postal history of Bergedorf is the one of the North German Confederation. Bergedorf's five stamps were only valid until that day.

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