day of the stamp - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2014 - 282 Euro Cent

The subject of this year's stamp commemorative stamp is dedicated to the market town Rankweil in Vorarlberg. The famous and historic pilgrimage attracts not only pilgrims and believers with its unique natural sites and a rich cultural offer. In the far west of Austria, near the border with Switzerland and Liechtenstein, lies the contemplative community, gently embedded between the Rhine Valley and the hilly forest area. Already in Roman times, "Vinomna" as an important traffic junction had great importance, of which the open-air museum "Villa Rustica" still knows today; In the Middle Ages Rankweil gained great prominence as a religious center. The aim of the pilgrims has always been the parish and pilgrimage church of Our Lady of the Visitation, which watches over the community on the Liebfrauenberg and whose beginnings as a fortified church can be found around 700 AD. The famous Loreto Chapel, which houses the Grace of Rankweil, was built between 1657 and 1658 by Baroque master builder Michael Beer. The Liebfrauenbergkirche was elevated to the basilica minor in 1985 and annually brings innumerable guests to the village, through which the Austrian Way of St. James passes. The community Rankweil extends over 22 square kilometers and is home to about 12,000 inhabitants. It is committed to sustainability and pays special attention to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources - ten hydroelectric power plants are in operation at historic Mühlbach alone. The local cultural diversity offers attractive events for every age group - whether the great "Rankler Kilbi" in late summer, the holiday program "Rankweiler summer", the garden festival "Querbeet", the cellar festival, the autumn market or the colorful carnival parade in February. An integral part of the Vorarlberg art scene is the Alte Rankweil cinema, which offers a stage for music and theater as well as film and cabaret. For the physical well-being provide the local inns, which maintain a long and great tradition with their home-style cuisine. Due to the dense settlement of the Rhine Valley, the third wooded Rankweil an oasis for nature lovers dar. Scenic destinations such as the Bad Gorge, the Frutzauen or the High Saddle promise scenic walks, the adjacent nature reserve Bangs-Matschels offers especially with its ecologically valuable litter meadows A home for many plant and animal species: at the end of May, when the flowers of the rare Siberian irises unfold, the meadows turn into a blue-violet sea of ​​flowers and provide unforgettable impressions. The motive of the special stamp shows the delicate Siberian irises in the foreground, in the background stands the magnificent Basilica of Rankweil.