“The Oldest Transport Company in the World” Tells its Tale

7th October 2016

Logistics Business“The Oldest Transport Company in the World” Tells its Tale

It started in 1474 – as the oldest transport company in the world Gebrüder Weiss has a lot to tell. On 1 October about 250 visitors were able to discover this for themselves at the Gebrüder Weiss Head Office in Lauterach. On the occasion of the ORF cultural event ‘Lange Nacht der Museen’ Gebrüder Weiss invited guests to attend a special exhibition. The focus was on the ‘Milanese courier’, a Transalpine courier service which existed from the late Middle Ages into the 19th century. Between 1474 and 1826, the courier took goods, letters and travellers from Lindau via Fussach and over the Alps to Milan. The operators of this courier service, which was held in high esteem at the time, were the ancestors of the Weiss family who, nowadays, operate worldwide with the international logistics company Gebrüder Weiss.


Unique courier service


“The Milanese Courier not only forms the basis of our company’s history, but is also unique in the history of Central European transport as a whole. As the only independent courier service in imperial Germany, the courier was not subject to state control and therefore, enjoyed a special status. For almost 300 years the courier service fought a successful battle to maintain its independence from the Imperial Thurn and Taxis postal service”
, said Supervisory Board Member Heidi Senger-Weiss, who visited the exhibition together with her husband Paul Senger-Weiss.

The documentary film ‘Milanese courier’ depicted the tortuous route taken by the courier service: a distance of 325 kilometres from Lake Constance to Italy, on foot, on horseback, by ship or covered wagon and in parts over dangerous stretches such as the Splügen Pass or the Viamala Gorge. In addition, wall charts, historical bills of lading and documents, as well as an historical actor illustrated the transport activities of the time. Some of the exhibits come from the permanent exhibition in the reception area of the company’s Head Office in Lauterach (the WeissRaum).

More information about the history of the company is available at: here.

Click here to see the film, ‘Milanese courier’.