I think that Richard is a keen stamp collector, so this postal museum seemed an appropriate place to visit, especially as it was free. The museum was founded in 1930 and it has been in its current location since 1957. Note that Richard has dressed to match the colours of the museum, although despite all that effort they didn’t mention that or give him a free stamp.
A selection of cancellation stamps.
A printing plate.
This is the uniform of an Imperial and Royal Austrian postman from 1910. The postal staff were originally paid by the State of Liechtenstein from 1864 onwards, but they became employees of the Austrian Post Office from 1905. There’s an old bike as well….
Part of the museum’s stamp collection.
The museum has a complete collection of stamps from the country, although they’re not all on display.
You can pull out any of these sliding drawers to see what stamps are located within each one.
There’s a lot of stuff that can be seen at the museum, although I was getting a bit stamped out….
As is evident here, I was surprised to see that Mandarin was the primary alternative language, testament to the strong links between China and Liechtenstein.
A Vaduz Post Office sign from 1869.
The sign dates to the 1920s and is from the Balzers Post Office.
On the left is a Hackney cab car horn and on the right is the post horn of the Imperial and Royal Austrian Post Office.
The history of the postal service in Liechtenstein is intriguing (as much as these things can be) as the Austrians were in control until 1921. Between 1921 and 1999 there was something of a change when Switzerland became responsible for post, telephone and telegraph services, before Liechtenstein decided to do things themselves from 2000.
The museum is a nicely put together arrangement and it has won numerous awards over the years. There’s a fair amount to see, it’s free of charge and I think Richard has been inspired to buy himself a new stamp album.