First Austrian Republic

A postcard from Austria - the proclamation of the First Austrian Republic 100 years ago , in front of the Austrian Parliament building. 

.... with the matching stamp on the reverse and a first day cancellation 

After the end of world war-1 and the fall of the Austro- Hungary Empire , the German Austrian Republic was formed in September 1918. But the Allies did not like the idea of expansion of Germany . And therefore , on 12 November 1918, a day after Emperor Charles I renounced his powers , the First Australian Republic was proclaimed in front of thousands of people who had gathered in the Ring outside the parliament building. The Treaty of Versailles forbid Austria to unite woth Germany in any ways. Theophil Hansen was the architect of the parliament building - a Neo Greek architecture built entirely with Austrian marbles brought from the village of Laas in the county of Tyrol. 

On the stamp the figure of Pallas Athena is particularly prominent, and indeed, even when the building was being constructed in 1874-1883, she was seen as a symbol of the still young parliamentarianism. Pallas Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, war and peace. Her resilience derives not from skill in battle, but from her clear and cool reasoning. The marble statue of Pallas Athena on the monumental fountain in front of the parliament building holds a golden globe surmounted by the goddess of victory Nike in her right hand, and a spear in her left. She is wearing a golden helmet and has a golden hide over her shoulders. The colour gold, which is particularly impressive on the stamp, was, from the earliest times, considered the colour of the gods and symbolises wealth and wisdom. The four figures lying at the foot of Athena are allegorical representations of the four most important rivers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They represent at the front the Danube and Inn, in the back the Elbe and Vltava (German: Moldau) rivers..

Cancellation: 

The first day cancellation here shows a man planting a tree - the design is an allegory and borrowed from a stamp issued in 1918 when First Austrian Republic was formed 

This postcard was privately designed by Thomas Stefanits ! ( only in 10 numbers )