Thurn & Taxis

[Paul Mackin]

On Fri, 26 Apr 1996, White, Rich wrote:

> 
> Apologies if this is a duplicate message - I can't tell if the last one got 
> through.
> 
> Does anyone know if the real Thurn and Taxis family was involved in the mail 
> business as described in COL49?  All I know about T&T is the frequent 
> appearance of their latest generation in the fashion and decadence magazine 
> W  (double V)

Sometimes it is hard to know if you are getting through.

If I cried out, who would hear me up there, among the angelic orders?

But seriously, the Taxis postal system was a private organization for 
mail delivery, developed in the 15th Century by the Taxis family of 
Vienna. Under the patronage of the Habsburg emperors, the family 
organized an extensive network of postal routes linking the imperial 
possessions which ultimately covered most of Europe and became an 
efficient an profitable relay system employing 20,000 couriers.

Rilke lived and worked for a while at Duino Castle, near Trieste, as 
the guest of Princess Marie von Thurn and Taxis.
		
				P.