Hellenic Post
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The Hellenic Post S.A. (, abbreviated ΕΛΤΑ, ELTA) is the state-owned provider of postal services in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. It succeeded the former government Postal Service, founded in 1828. ELTA provides a universal postal service to all parts of Greece and is a member of the
Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Be ...
. Services provided include: letter post; parcel service;
deposit account A deposit account is a bank account maintained by a financial institution in which a customer can deposit and withdraw money. Deposit accounts can be savings accounts, current accounts or any of several other types of accounts explained bel ...
s; Swiftpost, a nationwide next-day delivery service; and the EMS international express mail service.


History

Hellenic Post was founded in 1828 along with the modern Greek state. Since 1996 it has been operating as a public limited company owned by the state. In 1834 an agreement with French banker Francois Feraldi ensured mail service to and from the Greek islands, and in 1836 placed the first wagons for transporting mail between
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
and
Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
. In 1860 the law on stamps came into force, and the first Greek postage stamp was printed at the Paris Mint, symbolically the head of
Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...
. In 1869 ELTA started using the Greek railway system, and in 1874 it was one of the founding members in the
Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Be ...
established in
Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
. In 1892 telephone services were added to the responsibilities of the post. In 1909 the company inaugurated the rural postal service, which for remained for decades the sole means of communication for farmers in difficult to reach rural areas. Starting in 1926, the Italian Aero Espresso started offering its services to ELTA for mail delivery by plane. During the
Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...
, the post office was always present, ensuring and enabling communication with the front. In 1949, with the establishment of OTE, the telegraph and telephone services were separated from the postal service, which now became the sole service of ELTA. Since 2006 ELTA have been providing banking services, in accordance with the partnership with Hellenic Postbank. Post office in Skala Patmos.jpg, Post office in
Patmos Patmos (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is famous as the location where, according to Christian belief, John of Patmos received the vision found in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, and where the book was written. ...
Attica 06-13 Sounion 28 postbox.jpg, Post box at Cape Sounion Hellenic Post Courier.svg, Hellenic Post, Courier Service logo


See also

* Postage stamps and postal history of Greece


References


External links

*
Official website
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Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
Postal system of Greece Communications in Greece Organizations established in 1828 Transport companies established in 1970 Greek brands Philately of Greece 1828 establishments in Greece Ioannis Kapodistrias Government-owned companies of Greece