Extratour Postraubroute

After six failed attempts, on May 19, 1822, eight poor farmers and day laborers from Kombach attacked the mail coach that ran monthly from Gladenbach to Gießen. The attack took place in the Subach, a hollow path near Mornshausen. The loot amounted to 10,466 gulden. However, the sudden wealth became a curse for the poor farmers. They were convicted of the act. Robber chief David Briel, whose idea the mail robbery was, escaped arrest and the death sentence by fleeing to America. A second robber is said to have escaped to South Africa and lived "in luxury" there. Two of the arrested committed suicide. The other four mail robbers died on October 7, 1824, on the scaffold in Gießen. In 1971, Volker Schlöndorff commemorated the mail robbery in the Subach with the film: "The sudden wealth of the poor people of Kombach." The extratour Postraubroute leads the hiker past the original site of the mail robbery in the Subach. But the route offers much more. The observation tower on the Erdhausener Koppe offers the hiker impressive views of the Salzböde valley. Also remarkable are the forest fields "Weites Feld" and "Rodenhausen Nord", as well as the Salzböde valley with a rest area. The Kornhaus with guest room and beer garden invites you to stop at the end of the circular hiking trail.

Those interested in learning more about the mail robbery in 1822 can find a program for groups or individuals by Armin Platt (He played the mail robber Heinrich Geiz in the open-air performances "The mail robbery in the Subach" in 2005 and 2006).