26th April 2023: Kärntner Brillenschaf, Austria

Thank You very much Anita!

2022 Christmas Mail from Austria

Like every year multiple Christmas postmarks were available in Austria. Thanks to Anita I was able to get them on some nice Christmas cards. These arrived between the middle of November until short before Christmas.

16th November:

28th November:

28th November:

9th December:

I really like the left Krampus stamp.

20th December:

20th December:

20th December:

20th December:

Thank You very much Anita

Austria: Castles

On 10th September I got four postcards from Austria and as they are all connected to each other, I will show them in one post.

The first card shows various views of the Waldviertel, the northwestern part of the Austrian State of Lower Austria.

The stamp shows Burg Rapottenstein, which you can also find on the card. It was never conquered and is one of the best preserved castles in Austria.

The second card shows some views of the Austrian State of Salzburg. I have visited this state multiple times, but saw not much more than the capital, the city of Salzburg.

The stamp on this card shows Schloss Moosham in the State of Salzburg. It is still in private property, but can be visited and was used as filming location. In the late 17th century the castle gained notoriety by serving as the administrative center during the Zaubererjackl witch trials. These trials led to the execution of 139 people.

Shown on the third card is the Kufstein Fortress. The Kufstein Fortress was first mentioned in the 13th century. In its history it was often besieged and its possesion changed between Austria and Bavaria. Today it is one of the most famous sights of Tyrol. I see this castle every year on my way to my summer holidays in Tyrol and visited it once in 2016.

You probably already guessed by now, but the connection between the cards are the stamps. The four stamps were issued in a souvenir sheet on 4th September 2021 and the special about them is the art style, as they are all designed in the style of the Dispenser stamps, which apparently gained some popularity among stamp collectors. I wrote a bit about Dispenser stamps here. This stamp of course shows Kufstein Fortress and like all the others it was cancelled with the First Day Special Postmark.

The last card shows castles in Carinthia.

The last stamp shows Falkenstein Castle. I think it is funny to compare the image on the stamp with that one on the card in the lower left corner. Here it looks like the castle is located deep in the Alps, but on the card you can see a large bridge in the background.

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Villach

On 25th May I got a postcard from Austria.

It shows an evening view of Villach. Villach is a city on the Wörthersee in the Austrian State of Carinthia. It is the seventh largest city in Austria, the second largest in Carinthia and the largest Austrian city that is not the capital of its state. I love this kind of superlatives! Also it is a important transportation hub and was in 1997 the first Alpine Town of the Year. 

The card was sent with a special postmark about a Stamps & Art event in Villach. I like this illustration by an artist called Frau Isa. 

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Carinthia

On 14th October I got two postcards: one from Austria and one from Japan. 

The card from Austria shows various views of Carinthia. Carinthia or Kärnten is the southernmost Austrian State. Its capital city is Klagenfurt am Wörthersee.

A very interesting stamp was used on the card. The celebrates the Centenary of the Carinthian Plebiscite, which determined the final southern border between the Republic of Austria and the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes after World War I. In the plebiscite the people in the southern part of Carinthia, which was home to a majority of Slovenes, voted for Austria. Two special postmarks about the jubilee were used on the card. 

 Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Lindworm Fountain in Klagenfurt

Last Friday arrived five postcards: one from Austria, one from Poland, one from Germany and two from Singapore.

The card from Austria shows the Lindworm Fountain in Klagenfurt. Klagenfurt is the capital of the Austrian State of Carinthia and the sixth largest city in Austria. It is located on the Wörthersee. According to the legend a lindworm once lived near the city. In memory of the legend the fountain was built between 1583 and 1593. It became a landmark of Klagenfurt and a lindworm is shown on the city's coat of arms.

Stamps:
Halloween (from set of four) (issued 14-10-2013)
Astrology (from set of four) (issued 21-04-2005)

Thank You very much Doris!