Private letter boxes behind bars
Scented letters and decisions from the judicial authorities – Swiss Post also delivers to prison. For example, to Thorberg prison in the Burgdorf region. The service is less spectacular than it might sound which makes a visit all the more intriguing.
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Thorberg
The connection to the outside world is a yellow delivery van – behind the steering wheel sits Gisela Schmutz from the Hindelbank Swiss Post delivery office. Today she’s on the ‘331’ round. This goes up to Thorberg, 10 minutes away from Swiss Post’s storage facility in Hindelbank. The route winds its way past meadows, farmhouses and – despite the pouring rain – bright yellow rapeseed fields and into the village of Krauchthal. After a few final bends up the hill, mail carrier Gisela reaches her first stop-off point – the sturdy grated door at the entrance to the prison.
For outsiders it’s quite an extraordinary place, but a familiar location to mail carrier Gisela: “I grew up around here – our farmhouse is just over there.” As a child she often encountered inmates dressed in brown overalls. She was still working on the farm at the time but not any more.
Gisela drives her yellow VW Caddy into the vehicle gateway, while the heavy door closes gently behind the van. There are now bars both behind and in front of her. “The two doors can never be open at the same time,” explains Gisela. On the right – between the external and inner grated doors and behind protective glass – is the reception area of Thorberg prison. As well as receiving all kinds of visitors, it’s also the prison’s mail collection point. Gisela is opening the vehicle’s rear doors for Thorberg today – a few parcels and the grey PostBox containing letters. But
