Postal robbery in the Subach: A desperate act by the farmers in 1822!

Postal robbery in the Subach: A desperate act by the farmers in 1822!

The SPD's 22nd “Frankenbacher Moment” took place in Biebertal on July 4, 2025, an event that focused on local history. Chairman Armin Schild gave an insightful lecture about the “Postal Robbery in the Subach”, an event that took place over 200 years ago in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and reflected the emerging social distress of the time. Loud Giessen newspaper Schild highlighted the harsh living conditions that many people in the region had to endure at the time, and at the same time regretted that the attack and its protagonists are largely unknown in Gießen and the surrounding area.

The famous robbery took place on May 19, 1822, when eight farmers and day laborers from Kombach, Wolfgruben and Dexbach attacked a cash cart that was on its way from Gladenbach to Gießen. With a loot of 10,466 guilders, the raid was not the only one of its kind during this time. The actors had to deal with a catastrophic economic situation, which was further exacerbated by crop failures in 1816 and 1817. The transition to industrialization in particular left many people in dire straits. Wikipedia describes how these scenarios not only led to desperate actions, but also encouraged the growth of social tensions.

Social context and consequences

As far as the social circumstances of this era are concerned, Germany experienced a period of profound change between 1815 and 1847. The transition from a class-ordered to a civil society was in full swing. Loud bpb The bourgeoisie, searching for equal rights and a modern constitution, was the dominant force. Despite the repressive legislation, a modern opinion press emerged that mobilized the dissatisfied population.

The poorest, including many day laborers and farmers, bore the burden of the economic changes. Schild highlighted that the harsh reality people faced back then gave rise to desperate effects such as mail robbery. After liberation from serfdom, people still experienced great poverty and were increasingly disadvantaged by the emerging industrialization. In 1824, the story of the mail robbery ended tragically for most of the farmers involved, who were sentenced to death and executed in Giessen for their actions.

The events surrounding the “Postal Robbery in the Subach” represent not only a dramatic attack, but also the human fate behind the social upheavals of the 19th century. It remains to be hoped that such episodes, which once remained hidden, will now receive more attention and understanding in the present.