The Princely House of Thurn und Taxis is a German family that was a key player in the postal (mail) services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles.

In the 13th century the originally Lombardic aristocratic family de la Torre (from the Tower (Turm)) was resident in Bergamo. The Tower (Turm) in the family crest eventually became Thurn, the Tasso (Dachs) became Taxis.

Ruggiano de Tassis (Franz von Taxis) founded the postal service in Italy. And later in Innsbruck, on 11 December 1489, Jeannetto de Tassis was appointed Chief Master of Postal Services. The family held its exclusive position for centuries. On 12 November 1516 the Thurn und Taxis family had a postal service based in Brussels reaching to Rome, Naples, Spain, Germany and France by courier.

The Thurn und Taxis company would last until the 18th century, when the postal service was finally bought by the heir to the Spanish throne.

The house of Thurn und Taxis still exists and is currently headed by HSH Albert Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel 12th Fürst von Thurn und Taxis, son of Gloria Princess von Thurn und Taxis, and is among the wealthiest in Germany. Since 1748 the family resides in St. Emmeran Castle in Regensburg. The family's brewery was sold to the Paulaner Group (Munich) in 1996, but still produces beer under the brand of Thurn und Taxis.

Princes (Fürsten) of Thurn und Taxis, 1695-present

• Eugen Alexander Franz 1695-1714
• Anselm Franz 1714-1739
• Alexander Ferdinand 1739-1773
• Karl Anselm 1773-1805
• Karl Alexander 1805-1827
• Maximilian Karl 1827-1871
• Maximilian Maria 1871-1885
• Albert 1885-1952
• Franz Josef 1952-1971
• Karl August 1971-1982
• Johannes 1982-1990
• Albert 1990-present

Influences

The mail monopoly of Thurn and Taxis was also central to the plot of The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, when supposedly a rival system, W.A.S.T.E., emerged to carry outsiders' documents, without government inspection thereof.

External links

• Thurn und Taxis family homepage (http://www.thurnundtaxis.de/)
• Telecom Pioneers by Phonebook of the World: Thurn und Taxis.com (http://www.thurnundtaxis.com/)
• EuroHistory.com: Thurn und Taxis (http://www.eurohistory.com/thurn.html)
• successor German Postal Services (http://www.deutschepost.de/)
• successor German Telekom (http://www.deutschetelekom.com/)