Soviet Zone
Thuringen - 1945-1946
Erfurt, Thuringen
The Soviet zone state of Thuringen, or Thuringia in
English, has been continuously inhabited since the beginning of the 4th
Century.
In 1945, the state of Thuringen was expanded by the
Soviets to include parts of Prussian Saxony and the areas around Erfurt,
Mühlhausen, and Nordhausen. Erfurt, which dates back to the 8th
Century, became the new capital of the East German state.
The definitive postage stamps shown above (Mi. #92A-99A, #98B-99B, Sc. #16N1-8, #16N7a-8a) were issued
between October 1945 and January 1946. They were printed on papers of
varied quality, and two types of gum were used for the issue. All of
the denominations of the set were perforated 11, except for the 20 Pf.
and 30 Pf., which were also issued imperforate.
The
new stamps depict fir trees in the Thuringen Forest, a posthorn and
letter, Friedrich von Schiller, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
The souvenir sheet shown above (Mi. Block 1, Sc. #16N3a) was issued on December 18 to celebrate both Christmas and Anti-Fascism.
The
top of the sheet is inscribed WEIHNACHTSSPENDE or CHRISTMAS FUND, and
the bottom of the sheet is inscribed FUR DIE OPFER DES FASCISMUS or FOR
THE VICTIMS OF FASCISM. The special charity sheet sold for two
Reichsmarks.
The souvenir sheet shown above (Mi. Block 2, Sc. #16N7b) was also issued on December 18 to publicize Christmas charity.
The
top of the sheet is inscribed SPENDE ZUR FRIEDENSWEINACHT 1945 or FUND
FOR A PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS 1945, and the bottom of the sheet is inscribed
WOVON O.50 RM DER SOZIALEN WOHLFAHRT DES LANDES THURINGEN ZUFLIESSEN or TO
KEEP THE SOCIAL WELFARE FLOWING THROUGH THE STATE OF THURINGEN. This
special charity sheet sold for ten Reichsmarks, of which 0,50 RM went for the lands of Thuringia.
The souvenir sheet shown above was issued on March
27, 1946 to raise money for the reconstruction of the National Theatre
in Weimar. The sheet was issued both imperforate (Mi. Block 3A, Sc. #16N9) and rouletted (Mi. Block 3B, Sc. #16N9f), and it
sold for 7.50 Reichsmarks.
The stamp
designs in the sheet depict Friedrich von Schiller, Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe, Franz Liszt, Christoph Wieland, and the German National Theater.
The set of imperforate stamps shown in the image above (Mi. #112-15, Sc. #16NB1-4)
was issued March 30 to publicize the reconstruction of bridges in the
Soviet zone state of Thuringen. The surtax went to aid in the
reconstruction projects.
The four stamps depict the Saalburg Bridge, the Camsdorf Bridge in Jena, the Goschwitz Bridge, and the Ilm Bridge in Mellingen.
An
imperforate souvenir sheet, featuring the four commemorative stamp
designs, was also issued (Mi. Block 4, Sc. #16NB4a). The souvenir sheet sold for five Reichsmarks.
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Soviet Zone - Thuringen - 1945-1946
