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. A British pillar box The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

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. Lombardy (It. ...

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. Innsbruck City Center Innsbruck (population 120,000) is a city in western Austria, and the capital of the Tyrol province. ... Events March 14 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. ... Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, French: Bruxelles, German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium and is considered by many to be the de facto capital of the European Union, as two of its three main institutions have their headquarters... Location within Italy The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma) is the capital city of Italy and of its Latium region. ... Alternate uses: See Naples (disambiguation) Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα-Πόλις, latinised in Neapolis) is the largest town in southern Italy, capital of Campania region. ...

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. Events April 24 - A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession - at October 18 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh Building of... Regensburg (English formerly Ratisbon, Latin Ratisbona, Czech Řezno) is a city (population 146,824 in 2002) in Bavaria, south-east Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München pronunciation) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

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

For Fürst, the German title of nobility that is best translated as Prince, see below. ...

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. The Crying of Lot 49 is a novel by the author Thomas Pynchon. ... Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. ...

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/)