Bundespost

Bundespost refers to the federal postal service of Germany, historically known as Deutsche Bundespost. Established in 1950 as a state-owned enterprise, it unified the country’s mail, telegraph, and telephone services and included the Postbank as a financial arm. It succeeded the earlier Reichspost and operated as a public monopoly for much of its existence. The organization was structured around three main divisions: Deutsche Post (postal services), Deutsche Bundespost Telekom (telecommunications), and Postbank (banking services).

Throughout its operation, the Bundespost served as the backbone of Germany’s communications and logistics infrastructure, maintaining a nationwide network of post offices, postal routes, and telephone exchanges. It pursued modernization efforts, expanding services and upgrading infrastructure while fulfilling a universal-service mandate.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, liberalization and market reforms led to a dismantling of the conglomerate. Under the Postreform, the three divisions were separated into independent entities, and the state began privatization. Deutsche Post AG emerged as the main postal operator, while Deutsche Telekom and Postbank followed suit in becoming separate, privatized entities. Over time, Deutsche Post AG evolved into the global logistics company now known as Deutsche Post DHL Group, with DHL as a major international subsidiary.

Today, the term Bundespost is largely historical, used to refer to Germany’s former federal post organization. Its legacy remains in the modern structure of the German postal and logistics system, and in the broader consolidation of state-run services into privatized national companies.