Austria: Day of the Stamp (2015)

The town that decorates the stamp for the Day of the Stamp in Austria this year is often referred to as the town of flowers or roses: Tulln on the Danube is famous for its many nurseries, the gardening fair and a broad floodplain landscape. It is one of the oldest towns of Austria, having been settled as early as the pre-Roman age. Today, this district town has a population of around 15,600 and occupies an area of 72 square kilometres.
Tulln offers a high quality of life – swimming is possible in the Aubad, a natural lake on the banks of the Danube, while walking and cycling are possible along the Danube and in the floodplain areas. It is precisely along the banks of the Danube that one finds the impressive Nibelungen Fountain, built because according to a famous legend it was in Tulln that Edsel King of the Huns came face to face with Siegfried’s widow Kriemhilde. Many people come to the fairs in this Lower Austrian town, and the largest trade fair hall in the province was opened here this year.
The parish church of St Stephen, whose origins date back to the 11th century, is with its two towers one of the most eye-catching buildings of the town of Tulln. It has been rebuilt on several occasions and was in part decorated in the baroque style in the 18th century, while today’s tower roofs date from the end of the same century. The stamp also shows the “MS Stadt Wien”, one of the last paddlewheel ships on the Danube. This ship, used both as a restaurant and for excursions, was built in 1938, is 78 m long, 60 m wide and has a capacity of around 500 people. The Rose Bridge is one of the two Danube bridges in Tulln. It was built between 1992 and 1995, and has an overall length of 440 m. The cable-stayed bridge owes its remarkable appearance to the thin cables and its characteristic high pylon that supports these cables. The population also voted for the design by the Alfred Pauser engineering office. The bridge was intended to reduce traffic in Tulln.

Tulln is also a museum town, and two buildings are dedicated to one of its greatest sons. The Egon Schiele Museum focuses on the first creative period of the Tulln-born artist, while his birth house, located at the railway station because Schiele was the son of the stationmaster, can also be visited. Tulln must have had a very strong influence on Schiele. Another artist also left his traces in Tulln: Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s ship “Regentag” is anchored here. The artist spent 10 years on this former Sicilian transport boat, sailing it as far as New Zealand. The Sugar Museum and the Roman Museum are other places of interest in Tulln.

The colourful commemorative to celebrate the Day of the Stamp 2015 shows the Nibelungen town of Tulln with the church towers, the striking Rose Bridge and the vintage ship in the foreground. It has a nominal of Euro 2.88, the Euro 1.44 surcharge being used to promote philately.

Published June 17, 2015