PTT Post: 1928 - 1998
We started under the naam PTT Post in 1928 (Staatsbedrijf der Posterijen, Telegrafie & Telefonie) – a trusted brand for many decades.
Delivering special moments for 220 years
In the Netherlands and beyond. On foot, on horseback and later by postal train. For a very long time, PostNL was the only postal company in the Netherlands, successively known as PTT Post, TPG Post and then TNT Post. And since 2011 our orange-clad deliverers have hit every corner and every pavement in the country under the PostNL name.
We started under the naam PTT Post in 1928 (Staatsbedrijf der Posterijen, Telegrafie & Telefonie) – a trusted brand for many decades.
In 1998 we switched to TPG (TNT Post Groep).
In 2006 we adopted Thomas Nationwide Transport (TNT Post) as our new name, refocusing our strategy to also include the international market while switching from red to orange as our signature colour.
You’ll have known us as PostNL since 2011 – still sporting the familiar orange colour. The Dutch government has entrusted us with the universal service obligation (USO), which ensures that we deliver the mail in every street in the Netherlands five days a week. That’s how we continue to deliver special moments.
In the Netherlands, we all know how what our postmen and women look like, but what were their uniforms like in the past? Let’s take you back in time.
The orange postbox that’s so instantly recognisable to every person living in this country is very different from how these boxes used to look. You’ll find them everywhere: strategically placed in the streets or inside at PostNL locations. In the old days, they were designed mainly for elegance, whereas today’s postboxes are modernist and primarily functional
We deliver shipments in over 190 countries using a wide variety of transport. Our mail and parcel deliverers have a lot more options available to them these days. Can you imagine how our postmen used to walk long distances, sometimes for days on end, to deliver the mail? How things have changed! A few highlights:
Smarter sorting processes and more efficient transport have helped us increase our mail deliveries. In a separate development, there’s been a massive rise in the number of parcels we deliver – a trend that continues to this day.
You’ll find more historical information at iconenvandepost.nl. And if you’re curious about our stamp designs, why not check out postzegelontwerpen.nl, which is part of the Museum of Communication.