Fairy Tale Town 'Lilliput' (part 1)

In 1933, a series of special postmarks was used containing the text: Schaefer's Fairytale City 'Lilliput'. Why those stamps? First, about the Fairytale City itself. It was one of the greatest spectacles in the history of fairs: the 'Lilliputian Circus'. It was not just a circus, but a complete city, with small houses, shops, a café, and even a small town hall and a post office. The Fairytale City was already known in England, France, and Germany. But the city also came to the Netherlands. One of the ventures was that of Carl Schäfer. In 1933, it could be seen at the spring fair in The Hague Zoo, among other places. Schaefer's Dutch tour was organized at the time by the theater agency E. Saks from Amsterdam. This organization, which toured under the name 'Schaefers Märchenstadt Liliput', required a space of somewhere between two and three thousand square meters. Schaefer employed no fewer than twenty-five technical staff and forty artists, mostly Lilliputians of various nationalities. In those years, it was common to tour, for example, fairs with people who had a remarkable physical abnormality, such as bearded women, giants, and thus also, as in this case, little people. The newspapers of the time spoke in a rather disparaging manner about the physical characteristics of the Lilliputians, but one read nothing but praise about their performances. For the Dutch tour, 180 tons of luggage were transported, which naturally required a considerably large fleet of vehicles. Schäfer also visited various major cities in 1933, such as The Hague, Arnhem, Nijmegen, and Haarlem. In The Hague, a special postmark was used from Saturday, May 13 to Sunday, May 28, 1933. However, the first performance of Sprookjesstad did not take place in The Hague. It was during the Beurs Dames Kroniek that the first city was built. The special stamp was used from Friday, March 3, 1933, through Monday, March 13, 1933. The performance took place at Musis Sacrum in Arnhem from Saturday, April 15 to Sunday, April 23, 1933. The Hague was visited from Saturday, May 13 to Sunday, May 28, 1933. In Nijmegen from Saturday, April 29 to Sunday, May 7, 1933. Then Utrecht from Saturday, June 3 to Sunday, June 11, 1933. In Haarlem from Saturday, June 17 to Sunday, June 25, 1933. In Alkmaar from Thursday, June 29 to Sunday, July 2, 1933. In Amsterdam from Saturday, July 8 to Sunday, July 23, 1933. In Enschede from Saturday, July 29 to Sunday, August 6, 1933. It was Heerlen's turn from Saturday, August 26 to Sunday, September 3, 1933. In Maastricht, from Saturday, August 12 to Sunday, August 20, 1933. In Groningen from Saturday, September 9 to Sunday, September 17, 1933. And finally in 1933 during the Dameskroniek Fair in Rotterdam from Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 8, 1933. Most of the stamp impressions were applied at the request of collectors. A total of 13 different stamps for a single event. A lucrative business for the Dutch Postal Service at the time. In 1937, the entire circus was once again depicted in special stamps, including a particularly strangely shaped stamp. More on that next time.