Never again is now
In late 2025, Deutsche Post issued a stamp about 'stumbling stones' featuring the text: Nie wieder ist jetzt (Never again is now). And: Ein Stein; Ein Name; Ein Mensch (a stone; a name; a person). This will be a poignant...
the second World War
Horrors of the Second World War on postage stamps
At the Auschwitz monument in the Wertheimpark in Amsterdam, a warning was issued last Sunday, January 26 (a day before the liberation of the extermination camp by the Russians) about a resurgence of antisemitism. Rabbi Menno ten Brink: “We only have to use the word genocide...”
Which women are we proud of?
Of course, I am proud of my wife, my two daughters, and three granddaughters. But which women would deserve to be depicted on a stamp? I leafed through the stamp catalog and came across quite a few. But...
Holiday at the SS school
Together with my wife, I went cycling in the Veluwezoom. We stayed in the charming village of Ellecom and cycled to Dieren, Doesburg, and the village of De Steeg. I don't exactly consider 'De Steeg' a name for a village,...
Mona Lisa
Anyone visiting Paris and wishing to see a world-famous painting can go to the Louvre. A few years ago, we saw that painting, which we only knew from photographs and publications, in 'real life'. A large hall, with many people who...
Michael Hainisch, Federal President of Austria from 1920 to 1928
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Republic of Austria, a series of four surcharge stamps was issued on November 5, 1928, featuring an image of the Republic's first Federal President: Michael Arthur Josef Jacob Hainisch. Notable on...
Tobacco on Austrian stamps
Tobacco advertising has been wholly or partially banned in many countries for several decades due to the harmful side effects of tobacco as a recreational drug. Young people, in particular, are discouraged from starting to smoke or from quitting. Postage stamps, on the other hand, featuring images relating...
Ten years of an independent Republic of Austria
The date of April 27 is one of the most important days in the recent history of Austria. On that date, the Declaration of Independence was published and the formation of the Renner Provisional State Government was instituted. Another milestone on the road to...
The Freedom Clock in Berlin
The Liberty Bell in Berlin has hung in the tower of Schöneberg City Hall since 1950, which at the time was the seat of the then Mayor of West Berlin, Ernst Reuter. It is the largest secular bell in Berlin. Ernst...
The 'Emperor' of Speyer am Rhein
With the title '2000 Years of Speyer', a stamp was issued on January 12, 1990, depicting a number of other buildings alongside the 'Kaiserdom'. Was this issue intended because of the cathedral standing prominently in the foreground, or because of the 2000th anniversary...
Cologne Cathedral
The largest Gothic cathedral in Germany is located in Cologne. The building with the two tall towers stands as an enormous eye-catcher in the city center, approximately 250 meters from the River Rhine. With the construction...
