June 3 – World Bicycle Day: Bicycles in the service of telecommunications

The bicycle, associated with our earliest childhood rides, has captivated people of all ages throughout the ages, while maintaining its role as a means of transportation and a valuable communication tool.

With the origins of its modern form dating back to the early 19th century, it appeared in Greece in 1869, as reported by the newspaper Alithia on January 29, 1970: “Bicycles (velocipedes): The bicycles invented by someone in Europe have already been introduced here as well. This curious and somewhat difficult mode of transport for children and couriers was, until recently, known only in Piraeus, but for the past few days its use has also been observed in Athens.”

The first cyclists were members of the wealthy class, but the new trend soon spread to the general public. The first cycling clubs were founded in 1890, and at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens, Aristides Konstantinidis won the gold medal in cycling.

The bicycle gradually became a means of transportation for work. The General Directorate of Post, Telegraphs, and Telephones (TTT), which was responsible for the country’s postal and telecommunications services, followed international practices and incorporated the bicycle into its operations in the early 20th century.

Over the years, telegram delivery personnel in major urban centers as well as in rural areas increasingly used bicycles to deliver telegrams more quickly. After the establishment of OTE in 1949 and its assumption of the country’s telecommunications services, their use continued throughout the postwar decades, before they were gradually replaced by mopeds and motorcycles.

The Telecommunications Museum features in its exhibition a Roadster-type telegraph messenger bicycle, manufactured by the Czechoslovakian company ESKA, one of the most important European manufacturers of bicycles for daily and professional use during the 20th century. The bicycle was acquired by OTE and is believed to have been used during the 1950s and 1960s. Its sturdy construction, distinctive rear cargo rack, and durability made it an ideal vehicle for the telegraph messengers of the era, and today it stands as a characteristic artifact of the history of telecommunications in Greece.