It is known that even in ancient times, within the territory of the Roman Empire, there existed a well-established postal system with numerous postal stations. The word "post" comes from the Latin word "posita," meaning placed, and "station" from "statio," meaning residence. The centralized management of the postal system was introduced by Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire.
Until the 16th century, messages and letters of rulers and large landowners in our region were mainly conveyed by their personal messengers. These messengers carried out their duties on foot or by riding horses, which were the fastest means of transportation at that time. Sending messages was much more challenging for private individuals, so they relied on the services of various trusted merchants and travelers. By the decree of King Ferdinand I, the Taxis family received authorization in 1526 for regular mail delivery between Vienna and Pressburg (Bratislava). During the time of the Rakoczi nobility in the late 16th century, a postal network existed in the territory of historical Hungary. The Hungarian feudal family Paar obtained postal traffic management on a concessionary basis in 1558. In 1722, King Charles III transferred postal services to the state and declared the transmission of letters a state monopoly. This marked the beginning of postal tariffs and the expansion of postal routes. The postal language was German and fell under the jurisdiction of the Vienna court. When Maria Theresa issued the Postal Patent in 1748, the modernization of postal services began. A year later, postal coaches, known as "diligences," were introduced in the Habsburg Monarchy. In 1752, a line between Vienna and Buda started operating, running once a week. Diligences were painted black and yellow, accommodated 5-9 passengers, with luggage placed on the roof of the carriage. Postal shipments and valuables were kept in a locked box at the bottom of the diligence cabin.
The postal box for collecting postage letters was first displayed on post office buildings in the early 19th century, around 1820. In 1855, home delivery of letters began, followed by express delivery in 1859. In 1869, Austro-Hungary became the first in the world to introduce the postal card – a postcard with a printed stamp. In 1874, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was established in Bern, setting rules between member countries and further facilitating and accelerating the functioning of the world postal system.
In the 20th century, the transmission of letters and postal shipments saw a rapid acceleration, primarily attributed to the fast development of technology. Letter carriers initially used bicycles and motorcycles, and from the early 20th century, the use of ships, railways, postal vehicles, zeppelins, and airplanes became common for letter transmission.
After the Great War in 1918, Vojvodina was annexed to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes and became part of the later Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In mid-1919, the organizational structure of the PTT system was established in the new state of SHS. At the Seventh Congress of the Universal Postal Union in Lisbon in 1920, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were removed as members, and the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was registered in their place. The post offices in Novi Bečej and Vranjevo, along with other post offices in Vojvodina, became part of the new postal system. In 1919, a PTT directorate for Vojvodina (post offices in Banat, Bačka, Srem, and Baranja) was established in Veliki Bečkerek (Zrenjanin), which moved to Novi Sad in January 1922. The Zrenjanin post became a district PTT unit, covering a large part of Banat, including Novi Bečej. In July 1952, the Vološinovo (Novi Bečej) post was mentioned as a third-order post of the Novi Sad directorate in the PTT Vesnik. Following various political and organizational changes, the Novi Bečej post became an integral part of the PTT Traffic Company Zrenjanin in 1960.
