Christmas 2019 - 70 years of the Christkindl post office self-adhesive - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2019 - 0.90 Euro

The Christkindl pilgrimage church: To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Christkindl post office, Austrian Post is issuing two attractive stamps with different designs, both showing a wintry watercolour painting of the Christkindl pilgrimage church. On this Christmas stamp with its modern design the number 70 is featured in the foreground, referencing the 70th season of the Christkindl post office which is being celebrated this year. With its wintry Christmas hues of blue and gold, the number frames the watercolour painting by retired bishop Dr. Reinhold Stecher showing the snow-covered Baroque pilgrimage church of Christkindl in Steyr, which is right next door to the post office. Building of the church, also known as “Zum Christkindl unterm Himmel” (Of the Christ Child under the Skies), started in 1702 to plans by the Baroque master builder Carlo Carlone and was completed under Jakob Prandtauer. The small wax figure of the baby Jesus which Ferdinand Sertl, an inhabitant of Steyr, had placed in the spruce tree's trunk in 1695 is today housed in a small shrine on the high altar above the gilt tabernacle in the shape of a globe. The Christkindl post office: The Christkindl post office in Steyr opened its doors for the first time on 15th December 1950. At that time the improvised post office counter was housed in the church sacristan's kitchen, where the dispatch clerk, Johanna Zeilinger, franked around 42,000 items of post with the first special Christkindl stamp. In its second year the post office moved into the neighbouring inn “Zur schönen Aussicht”, which today operates as the hotel and restaurant “Christkindlwirt”. Since then the Christkindl post office has been housed there in the Post Stube. Since 1951 not only domestic post but also items from abroad have been stamped there. Austrian Post issued its first Christmas postage stamp in 1953. Every year, around 1.8 million letters and cards sent “via Christkindl” are sent to the Christkindl post office and there franked with the Christmas stamp or with the three kings stamp which is used between 27th December and 6th January. The Christkindl Christmas post office is also responsible for replying to the thousands of letters that children around the world send to the Christ Child.