Der Posthalter

Karl Adolf Ritter is a historical figure. He operated the post office in Diemerstein, a small town in the Palatinate near Kaiserslautern. In his memoirs, he reflects on the time between the Rococo and Biedermeier periods. The portrayal of this man's life is rich in experiences and hardships. Encounters with important figures of this era, such as Napoleon, Jefferson, and other contemporary personalities, are described from his very personal perspective. He shared a lifelong friendship with the later first Bavarian king, Maximilian I. The social reorganizations, from the joyful activities of the so-called gallant age through the upheavals of the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and finally the peaceful times, are presented from the viewpoint of a man on the fringes of great world politics, making them feel strikingly close. At the end of the memoirs, the ideas of the Vormärz and the bourgeois revolution also emerge on the horizon.