I recently read Mrs. Adams in Winter, a wonderful historical biography that took me on a carriage ride from Russia to France along post roads in 1815 (the upkeep of roads was not for individual travel per se but to ensure swift and efficient mail communiques). Not only were the roads she travelled important in ensuring her safety in a resurgent Napoleonic period, but the stations she passed to get fresh horses and rest said a great deal about the wealth and politics of the land.
History yes. But present as well. Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxi, the billionaire German prince whose fortune Forbes estimates at $2.2 billion, has ties back to these post roads. His diversified family fortune can be traced back to being to general postmasters of the Holy Roman Empire and the postal services in Europe in the 16th century.
The horsepower the billionaire postmaster today uses is race cars not equine. The avid racecar driver took delivery of a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 last year. Nice one for those old post roads.
