The technology has been outdated for many years, but telegrams are still being sent in Germany. Shortly before the Post stops the offer at the turn of the year, there are again an unusual number – despite the steep price.
According to a company statement, more than 3,000 people used the telegram on the last two working days of 2022. On New Year’s Eve it was exactly 3228, an extraordinary number. Because in previous years just between 200 and 300 were sent – per month.
For a long time, telegrams were the fastest way to communicate worldwide. Particularly important political or military messages were conveyed in short lines, but private individuals also used them for weddings or births.
The shortened language in particular made the telegram stand out: personal pronouns or adjectives were often left out – because each character or word cost money. At Deutsche Post, customers recently paid 12.57 euros for 160 characters.
Telephones, e-mails and the like gradually replaced telegrams over time. According to Deutsche Post, demand from private customers has continued to fall in recent years, which is why it has discontinued the offer. Only companies and administrations are said to have used telegrams to a significant extent, for example for company anniversaries or as invitations.
In 2018, Deutsche Post had already stopped sending telegrams abroad. It was recently one of the few companies in the world that still offered telegrams at all.
