day of the stamp - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2010 - 265 Euro Cent

The traditional "Stamp Day" stamp, with a surcharge of EUR 1.30 per piece, supports organized philately in Austria, has its first day at ÖVEBRIA, the largest association exhibition of the year, where it will be presented to the interested public. The motive of the stamp shows in the foreground a modern train set of the ÖBB, the so-called "Railjet", and the coat of arms of Gmunden; In the background you can see the lovely town of Gmunden, venue of the ÖVEBRIA 2010, the romantic Seeschloss Ort, the Traunsee and the mighty mountain landscape, which - as a backdrop - frames this beautiful spot in the Salzkammergut. Keyword Gmunden: The town of about 13,000 inhabitants is located on the northern shore of Lake Traun at 425 meters altitude. The first settlement of today's urban area dates back to the 5th century. When Gmunden became a town from a fortified market is not exactly known, but it is clear that the town was heavily fortified in the Middle Ages. It was not until around 1300 that Gmunden received its own church, but a regional court (today's district court) already existed in 1217. Today, the town is above all a charming place for summer holidays - tourism continues to be an important source of income for Gmunden. Admittedly, the "Gmundner Keramik", which is popular far beyond the country's borders, enjoys a special reputation, which is considered to be "lovingly Austrian" to a great extent. The most important sights of the city are the country castle and the already mentioned Seeschloss Ort, which was built in the 10th century and thus belongs to the oldest buildings of the Salzkammergut. The "Railjet" shown on the special stamp, meanwhile, is a high-speed train and long-distance service of ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG, which started commercial operation at the 2008/2009 timetable change. It was first publicly presented on 15 September 2008. It is interesting that unlike other railways for high-speed traffic, ÖBB does not rely on multiple units, but on locomotive-type reversing trains. The Railjet trimmings consist, similar to the former German "Metropolitan Express Train", of individual cars, which are interconnected with shell and socket couplings and have at the ends of normal screw couplings.