The monastery of Tegernsee, one of the oldest and most important monasteries in Bavaria, was founded in the middle of the 8th century and was acquired by the Bavarian Kingdom in March 1817.
Only one year later King Max I. Josef moved his summer residence into the new acquired castle and reign the country out of Tegernsee.
The royal colonel of stables and horses Baron von Kessling calculated to use 70 horses for the way from Munich to Tegernsee. These horses had to be kept ready in the villages along that way which was not a good solution for ever.
For that reason the mayor post office of the royal Bavarian government introduced on July 31st 1822 to establish royal post stations in Tegernsee and Sauerlach during the summertime stay of the all most Royals in Tegernsee.
At that time the travelling time from Munich to Tegernsee lasted almost two days with one overnight stay in Sauerlach.
In 1825 a high speed wagon connection was established for the way Munich - Tegernsee - Bad Kreuth, just for the bathing and swimming season in Bad Kreuth.
The function of a post station in that time was to keep horses to change in a stable for the stage-coaches to transport regular mail, persons and small parcels. This station was run by a private businessman.
In the warmer seasons also other high graded personalities travelled through Sauerlach, caused by the governing of the king in Tegernsee and the health resort in Bad Kreuth.
In addition following historical story:
For August 27th 1835 his Excellency the papal nuncios Archbishop Mercy Dárgenteau announced to come to Sauerlach and ordered some horses to change. He visited the Bavarian Queen Therese in Traunstein and was on his way back to Munich. Unfortunately in Sauerlach nothing was prepared to serve this high graded guest and the archbishop had to wait. He also missed a warm welcome from the station masters wife, as she appeared on the scene some time later. So he decided to complain by a written document about that situation at the Ministry of foreign affairs. He lamented that he had to wait even he did a reservation and that the four horses from Sauerlach have been in bad condition, one was even lame ! On September 14th the station master Lidl described the situation with a letter out of his point of view. Self-confident he replied that the ordered horses had been ready within 8 Minutes; furthermore this horses have been his private ones which have transported already a lot of crowned heads and high personalities to their fullest satisfaction. By the way he expects form travellers, who have to be satisfied, no rudeness and he asks to explain to this Excellency the rules and laws of the Bavarian postage, in fact that this high person was not even able to speak German.
In the year 1838 her majesty Alexandra Feodorowna, empress of Russia travelled accompanied by Princess Alexandra Nicolajewna to Bad Kreuth with a stay in Sauerlach. On August 12th the emperor of Russia Nicolaus I. Pawlowitsch followed them out of the far St. Petersburg.
Nicolaus I.
Emperor of Russia
In the prime time of the Sauerlacher Post the stables for nearly 70 horses have been almost too small. So the dining room was prepared every night with straw for the coachmen and at 4:00 o'clock in the morning they started to harness the horses to the carriages.
On the Sunday of parish fair in October 1866 the old post station burned down and was rebuilt within the same year.
Between 1894 and 1897 when he finally moved to the Gaistal at the Wetterstein mountain, Ludwig Ganghofer visited the royal post station regularly. Ludwig Ganghofer was one of the most famous authors of the last century with millions of editions of his books and countless film versions and theatre versions of his writings.
Ludwig Ganghofer
1855-1920
The first bakery was run and lodged within the post station until the station master and the bakery master came across and the bakery master opened his own bakery shop outside of the post station.
Elder citizens of Sauerlach still remember Lorenz Bruckner. He was a coachman and station master before first world war and moved his carriage through the attractive country side from Schliersee to Bayrischzell. His house still can be seen at Hofoldinger street No. 2.
Moreover there are reports of an other coachman who drove across Hofolding to Faistenhaar. He proudly sat on his carriage pulled by two horses and played some nice melodies on his trumpet.
It is not known when exactly the last stage-coach was taken out of business in Sauerlach. Historically documented is only that the post stable in Wolfratshausen was closed down in 1931. At this station already in 1789 Johann Wolfgang v. Goethe came along on his way to Italy.
The last stage-coach in upper Bavaria was in September 1938 from Holzkirchen to Dietramszell.
(Text with content copies from Reinhold Löschinger "Die Lidl´sche Posthalterei")