Over the long history of the swampy lands that originally constituted the site, certain parcels belonged to the Thurn und Taxis (or Tassis) German noble family.
Philip the Fair of Burgundy promoted Frans Von Tassis to postmaster in 1504; a position Tassis also held for Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, beginning in 1489.
Francisco moved the family to Brussels by 1516, and from there they organised the first international postal service.
The imperial postal service linked the wealthy Low Countries to the Spanish court, and served the Holy Roman Empire and the rest of Europe.
The horse-based postal service would be based in Brussels for nearly two centuries before moving to Frankfurt (Germany) in 1704.

The fields in were used as pasture for the family's horses.
The family gave their name to a small road that crossed through the area.
This was rendered into French as Tour et Taxis, and would give its name to the area after its transition into a busy port.
Over the long history of the swampy lands that originally constituted the site, certain parcels belonged to the Thurn und Taxis (or Tassis) German noble family. Philip the Fair of Burgundy promoted Frans Von Tassis to postmaster in 1504; a position Tassis also held for Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, beginning in 1489. Francisco moved the family to Brussels by 1516, and from there they organised the first international postal service. The imperial postal service linked the wealthy Low Countries to the Spanish court, and served the Holy Roman Empire and the rest of Europe. The horse-based postal service would be based in Brussels for nearly two centuries before moving to Frankfurt (Germany) in 1704.
The fields in were used as pasture for the family's horses. The family gave their name to a small road that crossed through the area. This was rendered into French as Tour et Taxis, and would give its name to the area after its transition into a busy port.
Tour & Taxis