Acquisition books of the Museum Foundation of Post and Telecommunications: Imperial Postal Museum

Reporting period 1872 – 1944

The Reichspostmuseum (Imperial Postal Museum), founded in 1872, was one of the most modern museums of its time and among the first museums worldwide dedicated to the history of technology. Its acquisition books reflect the institution's ambitious mission to establish a comprehensive collection, as outlined in its founding purpose:
“[...] a postal and telegraph museum whose goal is to illustrate the development of transport from antiquity to the present day in a cultural-historical context. To achieve this, it collects objects, devices, and models used in postal and telegraphic services, as well as pictorial representations and other artifacts related to writing, communication, and transport from all eras and cultures.”

The Reichspostmuseum also served as a showcase for the Reichspost (Imperial Postal Service) to present the cutting-edge technologies of its time, including the telephone, radio, wirephoto, and television. During the Second World War, the museum's collection was relocated for safekeeping, resulting in its division into West and East German sections. Today, the collection is housed at the Museum für Kommunikation in Frankfurt, the Museum für Kommunikation in Berlin, and the Philatelic Archive in Bonn.

A complete transcription of the Reichspostmuseum’s acquisition books from 1872 to 1944 is available on the website of the Museumsstiftung Post und Telekommunikation.