Vortrag: 300 Jahre kursächsische Postmeilensäulen in Chemnitz

In the organizer's words:

Project for the re-erection of an Electoral Saxon postal pillar for Chemnitz

Presentation and explanations on the presentation of the inscription stone for this project by Rolf Schmalfuß

Our city of Chemnitz has a rich history. This includes the fact that 300 years ago, the city gates, as exits from the city fortifications, were equipped with Electoral Saxon post mileposts, which served as distance pillars as well as full and half mileposts and quarter mileposts to show drivers, letter carriers and traders the way out of the city on the postal and trade routes.

The large distance pillars were over 4 m high and, in addition to the distance inscriptions, bore a richly decorated pair of Electoral Saxon and Polish-Lithuanian coats of arms as well as the gilded post horn.

The installation of postal mileposts on the postal and country roads of Electoral Saxony goes back to a mandate from the King and Elector "Augustus the Strong", who ordered this measure in 1721. The Chemnitz post mileposts were not erected until 1725 and had already been demolished by around 1850. Today, there are still a total of 265 post mileposts from this period in Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and even in Lower and Upper Lusatia in Poland. There are already a large number of replicas of these pillars, which are also being sought for our town.

The lecture in words and pictures by Rolf Schmalfuß sheds light on the initiative, character and scope of this "traffic organization" in Baroque times, but also on the significance of the columns as monuments up to the present day. The lecture will be accompanied by an extensive discussion designed to sharpen and broaden the view of historical traffic monuments.

Price information:

Adults 8 euros, concessions 5 euros, children free of charge