300 years of Liechtenstein

A registered envelope from Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 with a unique stamp 

300 years of the Principality of Liechtenstein 

Date of issue: 23-01-2019

The Principality of Liechtenstein marks its 300th anniversary on 23 January 2019. Through the special stamp “300 Years of Liechtenstein” (face value: CHF 6.30), Philately Liechtenstein made an exclusive contribution to this historic occasion. For the first time in history, it issued an embroidered stamp. The anniversary stamp is self-adhesive and is presented in the shape of a Princely hat. It was made by the embroidery firm Hämmerle & Vogel in Lustenau, Austria. 

In 1719, Emperor Karl VI united lands owned by Prince Hans Adam I of Liechtenstein, i.e. the county of Vaduz and the dominion of Schellenberg, and elevated them to form the Principality of Liechtenstein. 

The House of Liechtenstein, from which the primcipality takes its name, is the family which reigns by constitutional, hereditary right over the nation of Liechtenstein . Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty's membership, rights and responsibilities are defined by a law of the family, which is enforced by the reigning Prince and may be altered by vote among the family's dynasts, but which may not be altered by the Government or Parliament of Liechtenstein.

A ditch called the “Scheidgraben” is located between the two parts of the country which are today divided into the highland part (“Oberland”) and the lowland part (“Unterland”). This is where the residents of all eleven municipalities of the country met to march together and celebrate the unification in 1719 on the jubilee day, which is also the issue date of this special stamp. 

Artistic photography - Bird’s eyes 

Date of issue : 16-08-2018

Photographer Sven Beham presents the eyes of indigenous birds from an artistic perspective. Three of these birds eyes adorn the new special stamps typographically designed by Hans Peter Gassner.

The “Cormorant” (face value: CHF 1.50) is another indigenous breeding bird. With a size of 80 to 100 centimetres, the blue-eyed bird which has dark feathers with a metallic gloss cuts an impressive figure. Cormorants feed almost exclusively on fish and often dive for food together.

Thanks Ruedi for this nice cover ! 

Liechtenstein Post - 200 years and still going strong

A prepaid postcard - postal stationary - from Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 - issued for the 200th Anniversary of the Austrian post collection centre at Balzers. ( 200 jahre K.K Briefsammelstelle Balzers ). 

Liechtenstein’s postal history begins when the mail collection station was opened in Balzers on 1 September 1817 by the Austrian postal administration.

Until the end of World War I, Liechtenstein was closely tied first to the Austrian Empire and later to Austria-Hungary; the ruling princes continued to derive much of their wealth from estates in the Habsburg territories, and spent much of their time at their two palaces in Vienna.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire established its state post in 1770 and operated all over Central Europe including Poland , Czech regions , Austria and Hungary , Italy etc .... Liechtenstein is known to have been on the mail route from Milan to Lindau in the 15th century as two postal stations were established at Balzers and Schaan to handle the volume of mails. 

In 1817, Austria opened the collecting office (Postampt) in Balzers. Before 1867, the territories under the control of the Habsburg monarch in Austria used the hyphenated kaiserlich-königlich ( k.k ). 

The Balzers collection centre was closed two years later because it couldn't compete with the Milan route but, in 1827, the Austrians reopened it. The new post office was integrated into the rest of the Austrian postal network so Liechtenstein was treated as a part of Austria. A second Austrian office was opened at Vaduz in 1845.

This is why the first Liechtenstein stamp that appeared in 1912 bore the inscription “K.K. Österr. Post im Fürstentum Liechtenstein”, i.e. Imperial and Royal Austrian Post in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Although eight years later the postal service became independent and was named “Fürstlich Liechtensteinische Post”, it remained under Austrian administration until 1921 when the treaty on the handling of the postal, telephone and telegraph services in Liechtenstein by Switzerland entered into force. 

The postal horn with a value of 100 CHF has been pre printed on the postcard with an image showing the imperial emblem of Austria- Hungary Empire on the walls of the collection centre of Balzers. 

The postcard has been uprated with another interesting stamp that commomerates the 100 years of diplomatic relations with Austria and Switzerland. 

The special stamp “Vienna and Bern” (face value: CHF 2.20) focuses on the theme of the diplomatic missions of Liechtenstein set up in Switzerland and Austria in 1919 for the first time

Issue date: - 04-03-2019

Lawyer Emil Beck (1888-1973) was the representative at the Liechtenstein legation in Bern until 1933. He played a part in various state treaty negotiations between both countries. According to parliamentary records, the closure of the diplomatic mission in Switzerland was attributed to the country’s financial situation. At the request of Liechtenstein's government in 1919, Switzerland safeguards Liechtenstein's interests and citizens abroad. The two form a common economic and monetary area (Liechtenstein has used the Swiss franc (since 1920) and has had a customs union (since 1924) with Switzerland with open borders (though both are now also party to the Schengen Agreement). The countries also have a common patent system. Switzerland is empowered to enter into treaties on Liechtenstein's behalf if Liechtenstein is not represented at the treaty negotiations; this power has most often been exercised with treaties involving customs duties or procedures.

Prince Eduard of Liechtenstein (1872-1951) was also a legal scholar and represented Liechtenstein’s interests from 1919 to 1921 as an envoy in Vienna. At the time, the aim was to get Liechtenstein out of the difficult situation it found itself in as a result of the First World War and to ensure that the country was recognised as being neutral and independent.

Today, Liechtenstein- the fourth smallest landlocked country in the world , sharing boundaries with two countries - has a very harmonious relationship with both its neighbours. The principality which was completely under the influence of Austria till the end of WW1, aligned itself with Switzerland after 1919. Inspite of the economic disaster post WW2 , the principality has managed to emerge as the country with the highest GDP per person in the world. 

Also - Austria has been a major player in the development of postal services all over Central Europe. 

The postmark : 

The postmark on the postcard is the pictorial postmark from Balzers !! And on the first day of issue of the stamp ;) 

Balzers

Thanks Tom for this beautiful postcard ! Your postcards teach me more history than any history book :) 

And yes, the Balzers postmark makes the postcard more special than a first day postmark of the stamp would !!!

Bridges of Liechtenstein

A cover from Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 with Europa 2018 Bridges stamps 

The “Alte Rheinbrücke Vaduz” (Old Rhine Bridge Vaduz) and the “Fussgängerbrücke Balzers“ (Balzers Footbridge) (face value: CHF 1.50 each) are Liechtenstein’s Europa stamps of 2018. 

The perspective from which photographer Roland Rick depicted the two bridges spanning the River Rhine is intriguing as he shot photos through underneath each bridge. 

On the stamp showing Balzers footbridge, he captured the snow-capped, 2,562-metre-high Falknis mountain in the background. 

The "Alte Rheinbrücke" is a covered wooden bridge linking the municipalities of Vaduz and Sevelen.

Measuring 135 metres in length, it was completed in 1901 and is today the only remaining wooden bridge spanning the Rhine. Another wooden bridge was, in fact, erected at the same spot 30 years earlier. However, this required rebuilding due to damage caused by the bridge being raised on two separate occasions while work was being carried out redirecting the Rhine.

After the dam in Schaan broke in 1927, the bridge was raised once again. The bridge, which has a wooden roof, was renovated between 2009 and 2010. Motor vehicles are not permitted to use the bridge, making it particularly popular with cyclists.

On this special stamp Vaduz Castle can be seen on the opposite side of the valley from between the massive pillars of the listed structure.  

Thanks Silvia for this beautiful cover !