In 1850 Pontresina contained around 270 registered inhabitants, living from agriculture and welcoming the occasional traveller approaching the little used Bernina Pass. Early in the nineteenth century reconstruction/rediscovery of the Julier, Maloja and Albula Passes, which since the end of the Roman empire had become mere bridle paths, marked a lessening of the isolation of the Engadin. The Swiss postal service was founded in 1848 and inaugurated a stagecoach service providing, for the first time, a regularly operated transport network. The development was associated with a tourism surge. Early beneficiaries were Tarasp and St. Moritz, two resorts able to boast spa facilities, and it was in these two resorts that the first new hotels in the Engadin region were built.