Austria: Sankt Pölten

On 4th February I got two postcards: one from Austria and one from Italy.

The card shows multiple views of Sankt Pölten. Sankt Pölten is one of the oldest cities and also the ninth largest city in Austria. Since 1986 it is the capital of the Austrian State of Lower Austria. Until then Vienna remained the state's capital, although it had been a state in its own right since 1920. 

The stamp shows enamel produced by Riess (issued 28-01-2022).

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Graz

Last Thursday I got two postcards: one from Austria and one from Germany.

The card from Austria shows various views from Graz. Graz is the capital of the Austrian State of Styria and the second largest city of Austria. The City of Graz with the Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg is since 1999 on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 2003 was Graz the European Capital of Culture.

The card was signed during the Postcrossing Meet-up in Graz.
With a great matching stamp:
UNESCO World Heritage - Graz (issued 12-06-2009)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Graz

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Linz

On Saturday I got two postcards from Austria.

One of them shows various views of Linz. Linz is the capital of Upper Austria and the third largest city of Austria. After World War II it had a reputation as industrial city, but in recent years it became a cultural centre. In 2009 Linz was the European Capital of Culture and since 2014 it is a UNESCO City of Media Arts. 

Stamps:
Austrian Wine Regions - Central Burgenland (issued 16-07-2016)
Austrian Wine Regions - Southern Styria (issued 24-05-2013)
with a special postmark of the philatelic shop in Linz

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Eisenstadt

Last Thursday I got two postcards from Austria.

One of them shows various views of Eisenstadt. Eisenstadt is the capital of the Austrian State of Burgenland. With just around 15000 inhabitants it is the smallest Austrian state capital and the 41st largest city of Austria. Under the Hungarian noble family of Eszterházy it was an important cultural centre. During that time many expelled Jews from Vienna resettled in Eisenstadt, Joseph Haydn lived in the town and also Maria Theresa visited the Schloss Esterházy.

Stamps:
Definitive (from a set of nine) (issued 01-03-2015)
Personalised Stamp "Giant Pandas of Schönbrunn"

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Bregenz

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from Austria, one from the United Arab Emirates, one from Kazakhstan and one from Australia.

The card from Austria shows various views of Bregenz. Bregenz is the capital and third largest city of the Austrian State of Vorarlberg. It is also Austria's most important port on Lake Constance. It is especially famous for the annual Bregenz Festival.

Unfortunately the card was sent from Germany.

Thank You very much Bettina!

Austria: Innsbruck and Tyrol

When I was in Austria last week, I made a day trip to Innsbruck.

Innsbruck is the capital and largest city of the Austrian State of Tyrol. It is also the fifth largest city of Austria. In 1964 and 1976 the city hosted the Winter Olympics and in 2012 the first Winter Youth Olympics took place there. The Old Town of Innsbruck seeks for the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Anna Pillar is a monument in the Maria-Theresien-Straße, which commemorates the expulsion of the Bavarian forces from Tyrol during the War of the Spanish Succession. 

The Helblinghaus is a building located across from the Golden Roof. It is known for its Baroque façade.

The Tyrolean Folk Art Museum was founded in 1888 as industry museum and then focused on contemporary craft works of high quality. Later also older Tyrolean works of art were added to the museums collection and today it houses the most important collection of cultural artifacts from Tyrol.

The Court Church was built between 1553 and 1563. It houses the cenotaph of Emperor Maximilian I and is known for its 28 large bronze statues of ancestors, relatives and heroes of the emperor. The church also houses the tomb of Andreas Hofer.

The Spitalskirche was built from 1700 onwards. It was the church of the city's hospice.

The Jesuit Church was built between 1627 and 1646. It houses the remains of Saint Pirmin.

The Innsbruck Cathedral is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Innsbruck. It was built between 1717 and 1724 and is considered to be one of the most important Baroque buildings in Tyrol.

On one of the cards I applied a stamp from the cathedral.

The City Museum of Innsbruck is a museum about Innsbruck's history. Its exhibits are from the inventory of the city's archive, with which it shares a building.

Ambras Castle was built in the 16th century in the style of the Renaissance. It was built at the behest of Archduke Ferdinand II as gift for his wife Philippine Welser and also housed his famous art collection. It is one of the oldest museums in the World and the only Austrian federal museum outside of Vienna.

Das Tirol Panorama is a museum on the Bergisel. It is especially known as location of the panoramic painting of Innsbruck, which features the Battle of the Bergisel. The museum has an underground access to the Tiroler Kaiserjägermuseum.

In Innsbruck I was also able to buy two postcards of Bruck Castle in Lienz.
Lienz is the only city and the administrative centre of the Lienz district in East Tyrol. The Bruck Castle was once the residence of the Counts of Görz and today houses a museum.

The last card I bought in Innsbruck is about the 175th anniversary of the Tyrolean Rebellion of 1809.

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!

Austria: Salzburg

On Tuesday I got five postcards from my recent trip to Vienna.

One of them shows an aerial view of Salzburg. Salzburg is the capital of the Austrian State of Salzburg and Austria's fourth-largest city. In 1756 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg. Since 1996 is the Historic Centre of Salzburg on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 09-05-2014)