Double castle view in the Werra valley

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The Zweiburgenblick postage stamp in the Werra Valley was issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance on February 3, 2011 . It depicts the view of the two castles near Wendershausen based on a historicizing painting by Ernst Metz . The painting is entitled "On the old Poststrasse Mühlhausen-Cassel am Ludwigstein AD 1796".

Geographical location of the two castle view

View of two castles with Hanstein Castle in the back and Ludwigstein Castle in the foreground

Two castles can be seen from the location in the Werra valley near Wendershausen. From there, Hanstein Castle of the Hanstein robber barons can be seen on the left and Ludwigstein Castle on the right . The latter was built by the Thuringian landgraves to contain the robber barons.

Prehistory of the postage stamp

The issue of the Zweiburgenblick postage stamp in the Werra Valley was suggested by District Administrator Stefan G. Reuss , who therefore wrote to Federal Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück and his successor in office, Wolfgang Schäuble .

Review of the choice of motif

The Zweurgenblick in the Werra Valley is a popular destination for hikers and an attractive motif for painters and photographers. Ludwigstein Castle in Hesse and the Hanstein Castle ruins in Thuringia rise on both sides of the Werra. The castles shape the Werra valley and when viewed create a picturesque impression of the unspoiled nature. Ludwigstein, now used as a youth castle, and the Hanstein castle ruins are popular excursion destinations in the Werra Valley holiday region and are open to visitors all year round.

But the Werra valley and especially the view of the two castles was also a warning symbol of the division of Germany for decades . In the middle of the Werra valley ran the insurmountable border between the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR. Today the view from Hesse to Thuringia has become a symbol for overcoming the division and growing together of Germany. The history of the former border between the Werra-Meißner district and the Eichsfeld district has now been extensively documented. The stations of German-German history from 1945 to 1990 are conveyed on the basis of facts and documents as well as contemporary witnesses and their stories, and a vivid picture of everyday life on the border of people in the region is drawn.

Philatelists and hikers alike are surprised by the choice of motif for the stamp, as there was already a depiction of Ludwigstein Castle on a 30-pfennig stamp in 1977 (see stamp year 1977 (Bund) and 1977 (Berlin) ) and because there was also a 30-pfennig stamp a three- castle view in the Werra valley with Arnstein Castle, Ludwigstein Castle and behind them in the distance Hanstein Castle.

Individual evidence

Special postmark
  1. ↑ Special post office and special cancellation for the presentation of the "Zweiburgenblick" stamp ( memento from June 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ a b Federal Minister of Finance: special postage stamps "Zweiburgenblick im Werra Valley"
  3. ^ Günter Schäfer: Cycle tour Witzenhausen / Werra, Goettinger Stadtinfo
  4. ↑ Zweiburgenblick comes on a stamp, Verlag Dierichs GmbH & Co KG / Hessische / Niedersächsische Allgemeine Zeitung .
  5. ↑ Reiner Schmalzl: Postage stamp with "Zweiburgenblick", Eichsfelder Heimatzeitschrift, publisher: Helmut Mecke, Mecke Druck und Verlag, 54th year, issue 6, June 2010 (PDF; 2.0 MB) ISSN  1611-1648
  6. ↑ Hiking Association Vellmar e. V .: Cherry blossom hike in the Werra Valley, Wochenspiegel Vellmar, May 9, 2010, Wittich Verlage KG.

Coordinates: 51 ° 19 ′ 15.8 ″  N , 9 ° 52 ′ 59 ″  E