Bridges, Bridges, Bridges! On Stamps

For a few years after the war, the occupied German provinces issued their own stamps. Sachsen had a set of 3 reconstruction stamps with surcharges, one of which was for the reconstruction of bridges (Wiederaufbau). Some of this money may have contributed to the repair of the bridge at Torgau, which lies in Sachsen, 1946.


Hello Alexey and Jose, Nice to see additional pictures of that day on stamps. The FDC seems to have a decorative embossed stamp in metal - gold? The stamps of Veliko Tarnovo show that there are now more bridges there than in 1921. K.)

The same stamps of Saxony with local overprints

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[URL="http://www.pichome.ru/image/CPE][/url]

All 4 of the "Wiederaufbau" stamps issued by Thüringen, 1946, were for the reconstruction of bridges. The 10 Pfennig stamp and a photograph shows the condition of the bridge crossing the Bleiloch barrier lake of the Saale in 1945. The bridge, shown at low water, had to be completely reconstructed.




(Nice additions Alexey, K.)

The second "Wiederaufbau" stamp of Thüringen depicts reconstruction of the Camsdorfer bridge across the Saale river in Jena. I found a scan of an old postcard showing the original masonry bridge, ca.1900. Today's bridge is of re-enforced concrete, for traffic and tram, and the arches are below street level.

The third "Wiederaufbau" stamp of Thüringen shows reconstruction of the highway bridge just a bit upriver from Jena, close to Göschwitz. A new bridge was put right next to the old one and the two are now part of a major autobahn route.

The fourth stamp of the "Wiederaufbau" set of Thüringen shows the road bridge over the Ilm valley close to Mellingen. The Ilm isn't a large river but the area may become flooded. The old bridge was renovated and the new one constructed parallel to it, both now part of the Autobahn. (Note that the surcharge of these stamps is high relative to the amount required for postage.)

One of the most impressive old masonry bridges of Germany crosses the Main river in Würzburg. The first one at this site was built in the early 12th century. The present one was finished in 1706. The stamp shows St. Burkhard with his sword, one of many statues standing on the bridge, and the Marienberg Castle up on the hill. The bridge was damaged during the war and repaired. It is now used by pedestrians only.

Another interesting bridge across the Main. It's the Old bridge in the centre of city, but I wasn't able to find his image in the 19th century. In my opinion this is the first stamp in the world with the image of the bridge, was released in January 1887

[URL="http://www.pichome.ru/image/CED][/url]

The triple Hohenzollern bridge, dating from the beginning of the past century, carries three sections of trains today and a pedestrian lane. At the time the stamp was issued, 1930, it had one section for street traffic and high towers on each end. Two of these can be seen at the right in the stamp. The bridge was so heavily damaged during the war that the towers no longer stand and traffic is now only rail. More than a thousand trains per day cross. Street traffic including trams take other bridges located up and down the Rhine river.





(Hi Alexey, You know so much more about the stamps and bridges than I do and you also have the catalogs; add information about the unusual ones, then I will not go looking, thanks. K.)

Here is another image of this stamp. Denomination in the Reichsmark and even on the scans watermarks are visible
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That would not translate from German into English, I will show a page from the catalog of Michel "Private Mail"

[URL="http://www.pichome.ru/image/C0T][/url]

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STAMPS WITH BRIDGES - 2017
Andorra, Frenche Administration - 9 March 2017 - The 40th Anniversary of Philandorre
Reproduction of the stamp Yvert 30A of 1932 in ultramarine color (Scott Catalogue: "A 20c ultra exists but was not issued")
Bridge St. Anthony on the river Valira Nord in La Massana

And again bridges across Main in the Frankfurt-am-Main, Ignatius Bubis Bridge and the Old Bridge

[URL="http://www.pichome.ru/image/CgY][/url]

STAMPS WITH BRIDGES - 2017
Australia - April 18, 2017 - The 100th Anniversary of World War I - 1917
Temporary wooden footbridge (duckboard) - Third Battle of Ypres - Australian gunners on a duckboard track in Château Wood near Hooge, 29 October 1917.

"China Scott #Q19 Parcel Post; truck on bridge 100,000 dollars block of eight; Shanghai cancel" as posted here: https://goscf.com/t/54180