200 years - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1984 - 6 Shilling
Theme: Devices, Items & Instruments
Country | Austria / II. Republic of Austria |
Issue Date | 1984 |
Face Value | 6.00 |
Color | multi-colored blue |
Printing Type | Photogravure |
Stamp Type | Commemorative |
Item Type | Stamp |
Chronological Issue Number | 1130 |
Chronological Chapter | OOS-OE2 |
SID | 321856 |
In 60 Wishlists |
The present stamp was the first in the postal history of Austria, which represented a balloon motif. It shows the first manned balloon ascension by Johann Georg Stuwer. Stuwer's real name was Johannes Stubenrauch and was born on 2 August 1732 in Oberliezheim, Germany. Already on the 17th of January 1784 a public but unmanned balloon ascension took place on the Wieden in Vienna. But only Stuwer managed to perform the first manned balloon flight in Austria. He moved to Vienna and was granted by Empress Maria Theresa the privilege to practice his fireworks arts. With his fireworks Stuwer wanted to tell stories in which his audience should enjoy. Soon he was known by skillful selection of themes of his fireworks in the audience. With the construction of his own balloon, he wanted to use the novelty of this invention and introduce a new attraction for his events. Thus, on July 6, 1784, the first manned balloon ascension in Austria took place in front of about 15,000 spectators in a balloon developed by Stuwer. Johann Georg Stuwer died on January 4, 1804 in Vienna.