DP [deːˈpeː] ⓘ), also Deutsche Post of the GDR (German: Deutsche Post der DDR, pronounced [ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈpɔst deːɐ ˌdeːdeːˈʔɛʁ]) was the state-owned postal and telecommunications monopoly of the German Democratic Republic (GDR - East Germany).

The DP was placed under the control of the Ministry for Postal and Telecommunication Services of the GDR (Ministerium für Post- und Fernmeldewesen der DDR -(MPF)) - a member of the Council of Ministers of the GDR (Ministerrat der DDR) - and was in operation from 1949 until the reunification of Germany on 3 October 1990.

With the end of the Second World War in Europe in May 1945, the Allied Control Council succeeded the former Nazi regime in Germany; as part of this action, the Deutsche Reichspost (the postal service of the German Reich) was absorbed by the occupation authorities.

Germany was divided into four occupation zones, and Berlin into four sectors; the territories east of the Oder-Neisse rivers were placed under Polish and Soviet authority.

[7] The DP also held a monopoly on the distribution of periodicals in the GDR, both retail and through subscription, as established by a law dated 3 April 1959.

Most distribution of periodicals took place via a network of kiosks throughout the GDR, including railway stations, roadside rest stops, and in urban areas.

Delivery by subscription was relatively rare, owing in part to the fact that print runs of popular publications were normally never sufficient to meet demand.

However, by the late 1980s, even certain Soviet periodicals, such as the popular magazine "Sputnik", were removed from the authorized distribution list, effectively resulting in a ban.

As part of the reunification process, the DP's stamps became valid also for the FRG and West Berlin, beginning on 2 July 1990, and vice versa, until their eventual expiration.

Further, the DP operated the production facilities for construction of telecommunications, technical services for radio and television, as well as related institutes for research, education, and learning.