Polish Post Day (Postman’s Day) Date in the current year: October 18, 2024

In the 14th and 15th centuries, German and Italian merchants used trading posts in Poland, particularly Krakow, to maintain communications. In addition, banking houses facilitated the forwarding of correspondence of private individuals. However, Poland didn’t have a unified post system at the time.

The emergence of the Polish post was kick-started by the death of the Polish queen Bona Sforza in 1557. Since she died in her home country of Italy, her son, King Sigismund II Augustus, needed to maintain regular correspondence with Italy to collect her inheritance.

On October 18, 1558, Prospero Provana was granted the royal right to establish and manage the post, delivering correspondence from Krakow to Venice and back. Private persons could use the services of this post, despite the fact that it was the crown that bore the costs of its maintenance.

However, the privilege granted to the Italian Provana eventually led to a conflict with the Thurn und Taxis family that had organized the first post system in the Holy Roman Empire. In four years, the king withdrew the benefit granted to Provana and made a new agreement with Krzysztof Taxis.

According to the agreement, Taxis acquired all Polish posts and established a unified postal institution named Poczta Polska (Polish Post). In consisted of two branches, the Lithuanian Post (Krakow – Warsaw – Vilnius) and the Italian Post (Krakow – Vienna – Venice). Private customers were charged 3 grosz for 1 lot weight of a parcel. Royal parcels were free of charge, but the crown paid 1500 thalers a year to maintain the post.

The present-day Poczta Polska is the state postal administration of the Republic of Poland. Although the organization in its current form was formed in the first half of the 20th century, its official foundation date is October 18, 1558. Its anniversary is observed as Polish Post Day.