Esselbach is located on an ancient east-west connection. In the Middle Ages, this traffic route crossed the Main near Lengfurt and crossed the Spessart. Many travelers were escorted through the forest on this road for their protection and to transport their luggage. Carters and farmers have also earned an extra income here.
In 1615, under Lamoral von Taxis, the postal line Prague or Vienna – Nuremberg – Würzburg – Frankfurt – Cologne – Brussels was set up and equipped between Würzburg and Frankfurt with the stations Büttelbrunn, Esselbach, Bessenbach, Dettingen and probably Hanau. Of these, only the post office in Esselbach has survived over the centuries, while the others have been relocated again and again.
First Postmaster was a “hard man”
The station was coming from Würzburg in front of the extensive Spessart forest. The first postmaster was Conrad Voith. He first made his horse available to travelers and accompanied them on foot until he could afford a second horse to ride with them himself. It is said that he was a “hard man”, without a hat and with his shirt open. He gained respect and prosperity, so that he was the first to be entrusted with the management of the Esselbach post office.
The post office remained in the hands of one family, which, however, changed its name several times through a remarried widow or daughter. The surname Voith was followed by the names Weiß, Dürr, Winheim and Hertlein. The name “Voith” in the current spelling “Väth” is still often represented in Esselbach.
There were always raids. The Schweinfurt Cross near Rohrbrunn still reminds us of a deadly robbery in 1609. The wayside shrine on the state road in the direction of Rohrbrunn from 1712 is said to have been erected on the occasion of a raid.
Robbers ambushed the stagecoach
At the Geiersberg, the highest elevation of the Spessart at 586 m above sea level. NN., there is still a memorial stone from 1787 with a carved cross and the letters “PWB” for “robbery of postal wagons”. The extensive case files show that a gang of six robbers had been watching the mail coach coming from Würzburg for a long time and noticed that the coachman was an old man. While four of the robbers were already riding ahead, two were staying at the Esselbach post office for further observation. One of the robbers brazenly told the coachman that they were going to attack the mail wagon. This statement was probably not taken seriously. The travelers were finally attacked and tied up on the Geiersberg. An Englishman who didn’t speak German was struck down. Each of the perpetrators took the proud amount of 800 guilders from the loot.
Georg Voith, the son of the first postmaster Conrad Voith, had a new building built in the second half of the 17th century, which is still the oldest surviving post office building in Lower Franconia. Coming from Kredenbach, it is at the entrance to the town on the left-hand side of the road. The building is equipped with richly decorated half-timbering, which unfortunately is hidden behind the plaster.
The corner room on the upper floor, facing the street and the courtyard, is characterized by its larger windows as the living room of the house. This room is still referred to today as the Napoleon Room.
The magnificent stucco ceiling that has survived to this day shows a child with a scepter in his left hand and a flame-like object in his right hand in the central medallion. With a fluttering cloak, an eagle, which can be interpreted as an imperial eagle, carries it through the air, which is symbolized by clouds. The comparison with Hermes, the messenger of the gods, inevitably comes to mind, although this is probably an allegory for the postal system.
Four busts can be seen in the corners, comparable to the depiction of Roman senators. The ceiling is structured by profile frames and decorated with acanthus leaves as connecting elements between the individual fields. In this form of expression, the stylistic devices refer to the last decade of the 17th century.
On the courtyard side of the building there is another room with a stucco ceiling on the upper floor. Here the decorative frames are flat and therefore look very elegant. Among other things, a hunting scene is shown in five cartouches. They are surrounded by volutes and festoons. The stylistic elements point to the early 18th century.
The postmasters in Esselbach achieved great prosperity, which is still evident in objects owned by the widely ramified family. In the early 19th century the post office reached its peak. With 40 to 50 horses in the stable, it was one of the largest in the German-speaking area. Almost the entire community was in the service of the postmaster.
Some lads earned their living as trainers by showing the harnessed, overheated horses around for a while. Eight people were busy cutting straw alone. Four blacksmiths worked mainly for the post office. Wainwrights, saddlers and rope makers were needed. Several inns provided food and accommodation. Last but not least, the postilion was a very popular profession, especially as it freed you from military service. From Esselbach, 14 main towns received postal services, including Lohr and Wertheim.
The Esselbach postmasters also acted as benefactors. The Madonna figure on the Marienaltar in the Esselbach parish church was donated by them. Also a baroque chalice from 1705 and a drinking chalice from the early 18th century, which is a rarity in the Empire style. The Ölberg group at the foot of the Kreuzberg in Marktheidenfeld also goes back to a foundation of the Esselbach post office.
Napoleon was a guest several times
Well-known personalities stopped in Esselbach. For example Emperor Franz II, Tsar Alexander I, Prince Metternich and King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Napoleon Bonaparte was in Esselbach in 1806, 1812 and 1813 and probably stayed in the room that is still named after him.
In addition to prosperity, the post office also brought disease and looting to the town, especially in the Napoleonic era. In 1796, on the feast of Margaretha, the patron saint of the church, 30,000 French passed through Esselbach, pursued by the imperial troops. In the same year there was a great cattle plague. In 1805/06 smallpox and typhus were rampant. In 1814, military troops marched through the town. In the Esselbach organ, a label from the court organ builder Philipp Seufert reads that he carried out his repair work on July 8, 1813 “when the French were quartered heavily”. Between 1850 and 1857 all horses had to be culled twice in the post office because of the glanders disease, which led to immense damage.
With the opening of the railway line between Würzburg and Aschaffenburg in 1854, the gradual decline of the post office in Esselbach was sealed after about 250 years.
About the author: Reiner Väth is deputy mayor of Esselbach and author of the local church guide. He regularly offers guided tours and lectures on local history.
Literature: A. Lehr, Old post office buildings in Lower Franconia. In: Archive for Postal History in Bavaria December 1927, pp. 74-79.
Reading tip: Missed the start of the series? The parts of the series that have been published so far can be found under /dossier/geschichte-der-region-main-spessart
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