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The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis is a German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 family that was a key player in the postal services
Mail

Mail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects, wherein written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages, are delivered to destinations around the world....
 in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles.

he 12th century, the Lombardic
Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region....
 family Tasso (meaning Badger
Badger

Badger is the common name for a specific group of carnivora mammals, which belong to the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, ferrets, wolverines, and relatives....
) was resident in the mountain village of Cornello now Cornello dei Tasso near Bergamo
Bergamo

Bergamo is a town in Lombardy, Italy, about 40km northeast of Milan. The commune is home to circa 117,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent Milan....
 in Val Brembana
Val Brembana

Val Brembana is a valley in Lombardy, northern Italy. It takes its name from the river crossing it, the Brembo .The Bergamo Alps form the valley's northern limits, notably the Pizzo Tre Signori and Pizzo del Diavolo di Tenda Peaks, while at south lies the plain of Bergamo....
.






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Thurn Und Taxis (coa)
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis is a German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 family that was a key player in the postal services
Mail

Mail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects, wherein written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages, are delivered to destinations around the world....
 in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles.

History

In the 12th century, the Lombardic
Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region....
 family Tasso (meaning Badger
Badger

Badger is the common name for a specific group of carnivora mammals, which belong to the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, ferrets, wolverines, and relatives....
) was resident in the mountain village of Cornello now Cornello dei Tasso near Bergamo
Bergamo

Bergamo is a town in Lombardy, Italy, about 40km northeast of Milan. The commune is home to circa 117,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent Milan....
 in Val Brembana
Val Brembana

Val Brembana is a valley in Lombardy, northern Italy. It takes its name from the river crossing it, the Brembo .The Bergamo Alps form the valley's northern limits, notably the Pizzo Tre Signori and Pizzo del Diavolo di Tenda Peaks, while at south lies the plain of Bergamo....
. The badger became Taxis in the family coat of arms. In 1624 the family became count
Count

A count is a nobleman in European countries; The word count comes from French language comte, itself from Latin comes?in its Accusative case comitem?meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor"....
s (Graf
Graf

Graf is a historical German nobility title equal in rank to a count or a British earl . A derivation ultimately from the Greek verb graphein 'to write' may be fanciful: Paul the Deacon wrote in Latin ca 790: "the count of the Bavarians that they call gravio who governed Bolzano and other strongholds?" ; this may be read to make...
en). In 1650 they changed their name to Thurn (Tower) und Taxis. In 1695 they received their princely title from Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor Habsburg , Holy Roman emperor, King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, was the second son of the emperor Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor and his first wife Maria Anna of Spain....
.

Ruggiano de Tassis founded a postal service in Italy. And later in Innsbruck
Innsbruck

Innsbruck is the Capital of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn River Valley at the junction with the Wipptal , which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 30 km south of Innsbruck....
, on 11 December 1489, Jeannetto de Tassis was appointed Chief Master of Postal Services. The family held its exclusive position for centuries. On 12 November 1516 the Taxis family had a postal service based in Brussels
Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium....
 - where the eponym
Eponym

An eponym is a person, whether real or fictitious, after whom a particular toponym, ethnonym, regnal year, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named....
ous extensive warehouse and railway goods yard complex is currently under development as a cultural centre - reaching to Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
, Naples
Naples

Naples is a city in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old....
, Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 and France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 by courier.

The Thurn und Taxis company would last until the 18th century, when the postal service was finally bought by the heir to the Spanish throne.



Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke is considered one of the German language's greatest 20th century poets. His haunting images focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety ? themes that tend to position him as a transitional figure between the traditional and the modernist poets....
 wrote his Duino Elegies
Duino Elegies

The Duino Elegies are a set of ten elegy written in German by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke from 1912 to 1922. Rilke had been visiting Princess Czech Branch of the House of Thurn und Taxis in the Duino castle in the region when he came across some cliffs from which he drew his inspiration to start his set of ten poems....
 while visiting Princess Marie of Thurn and Taxis
Czech Branch of the House of Thurn und Taxis

The Czech branch of the Thurn und Taxis is dynastic branch of a Germany family that was a key player in the mail in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles....
 (née princess of Hohenlohe
Hohenlohe

Hohenlohe is the name of a Germany dynasty.At first rulers of a county, its two branches were raised to the rank of principalities of the Holy Roman Empire in 1744 and 1764 respectively; in 1806 they lost their independence and their lands formed part of the Kingdoms of Bavaria and of W?rttemberg....
) at her family's Duino
Duino

Duino is a town in the coastal part of the municipality of Duino-Aurisina, part of the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the province of Trieste, north-eastern Italy....
 castle. Rilke later dedicated his only novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge

The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge was Rainer Maria Rilke's only novel. It was written while Rilke lived in Paris, and was published in 1910 in literature....
 to the princess, who was his patroness. Marie's relation to Regensburg's Thurn and Taxis is rather distant, however; she was married to Alexander Thurn and Taxis
Czech Branch of the House of Thurn und Taxis

The Czech branch of the Thurn und Taxis is dynastic branch of a Germany family that was a key player in the mail in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles....
, a member of the family's branch
Czech Branch of the House of Thurn und Taxis

The Czech branch of the Thurn und Taxis is dynastic branch of a Germany family that was a key player in the mail in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles....
 that in the early 19th century settled in Bohemia (now Czech Republic) and became strongly connected to Czech national culture and history.

Several members of the family have been Knights of Malta.

The current head of the house of Thurn and Taxis is HSH Albert II, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Albert II, Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Albert Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis , was for years the youngest person on the List of billionaires 101-946....
, son of Johannes
Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis

Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis .His father was Karl August, Prince of Thurn and Taxis and his mother was Maria Anna von Braganca. He had two older sister and one younger brother....
 and his wife, Gloria
Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis

Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis is a princess of a formerly princely house and a socialite....
. The family is one of the wealthiest in Germany. The family has resided in St. Emmeram Castle in Regensburg
Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen River rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube....
 since 1748. The family's brewery was sold to the Paulaner Group (Munich
Munich

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Northern Limestone Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg....
) in 1996, but still produces beer under the brand of Thurn und Taxis.

Princes of Thurn and Taxis

  • Eugen Alexander Franz (1695–1714)
  • Anselm Franz (1714–1739)
  • Alexander Ferdinand (1739–1773)
  • Karl Anselm (1773–1805)
  • Karl Alexander (1805–1827
  • Maximilian Karl (1827–1871)
  • Maximilian Maria (1871–1885)
  • Albert I
    Albert I, Prince of Thurn and Taxis

    Albert Maria Joseph Maximilian Lamoral, 8th Prince of Thurn and Taxis was the head of the Thurn und Taxis from 1885 to 1952.Albert was born at Regensburg, Germany, the younger son of Maximilian, Hereditary Prince of Thurn and Taxis and Duchess Helene in Bavaria ....
     (1885–1952)
  • Franz Josef (1952–1971)
  • Karl August (1971–1982)
  • Johannes
    Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis

    Johannes, Prince of Thurn and Taxis .His father was Karl August, Prince of Thurn and Taxis and his mother was Maria Anna von Braganca. He had two older sister and one younger brother....
     (1982–1990)
  • Albert II
    Albert II, Prince of Thurn and Taxis

    Albert Maria Lamoral Miguel Johannes Gabriel, 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis , was for years the youngest person on the List of billionaires 101-946....
     (1990-)


The Thurn and Taxis family came to massive media attention during the late-1970s through mid-1980s when late Prince Johannes married Countess Mariae Gloria of Schönburg-Glauchau
Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis

Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis is a princess of a formerly princely house and a socialite....
, a member of an impoverished noble family. The couple's wild, "jet set" lifestyle and Princess Gloria's over-the-top appearance (characterized by bright hair color and flashy clothes) earned her the nickname (also referred to as "Princess TNT, the dynamite socialite" according to the June 2006 edition of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)

Vanity Fair is an American magazine of culture, fashion, and politics published by Cond? Nast Publications....
 Magazine).

Cultural references to Thurn and Taxis

  • The mail monopoly of Thurn and Taxis was central to the plot of The Crying of Lot 49
    The Crying of Lot 49

    The Crying of Lot 49 is a novel by Thomas Pynchon. The shortest of Pynchon's novels and often considered his most accessible, the book is about a woman, Oedipa Maas, possibly unearthing the centuries-old conflict between two mail distribution companies, Thurn und Taxis and the Trystero ....
     by Thomas Pynchon
    Thomas Pynchon

    Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American literature based in New York City, noted for his dense and complex works of fiction. Hailing from Long Island, Pynchon spent two years in the United States Navy and earned an English studies degree from Cornell University....
    , which deals with a secret rival mail system , developed by the fictional Trystero family.
  • The board game Thurn and Taxis
    Thurn and Taxis (board game)

    Thurn and Taxis is a board game designed by Karen and Andreas Seyfarth and published in 2006 by Hans im Gl?ck in German and by Rio Grande Games in English....
    , by Andreas Seyfarth
    Andreas Seyfarth

    Andreas Seyfarth is a German-style board game designer, who is most famous for creating Puerto Rico , which has consistently been rated #1 on BoardGameGeek....
     and Karen Seyfarth is inspired by the family.
  • The protagonist of Walter Jon Williams
    Walter Jon Williams

    Walter Jon Williams is an American writer, primarily of science fiction.Several of Williams' novels have a distinct cyberpunk feel to them, notably Hardwired and Voice of the Whirlwind....
    's Elegy for Angels and Dogs is the head of the Thurn und Taxis family.


External links