news
2nd stamp issue
03 June 2024
EUROPA – Underwater Flora & Fauna
Liechtenstein is contributing to this year’s Europa stamps with two photographs of its underwater world. Each year, the member states of the Organisation of European Postal Organisations (PostEurop) issue their own stamps on a common theme.
The “EUROPA - Underwater Fauna and Flora” miniature sheet (face value: CHF 1.90 each) is issued as a se-tenant of the two motifs.
The St. Katrinabrunna nature reserve in the southernmost municipality of Balzers served as the backdrop for the two photographs. The nature and recreation area with two ponds was created by the municipality in 1973. Endangered plant and animal species have found a habitat there.
This includes the fish named “Egli”, known outside the Swiss-speaking world as the river perch. It is found in a wide variety of waters in Liechtenstein. It is easily recognisable thanks to the five to six dark transverse bands on its body and its spiny dorsal fin. Among other things, the second photo shows the underwater leaves of an aquatic plant named floating pondweed and those leaves that have not yet made it to the surface. This plant serves as a hiding place for small fish and provides the pond with oxygen.
40 Years of Women’s Suffrage in Liechtenstein
The 40th anniversary of the introduction of women’s suffrage in the Principality of Liechtenstein is being celebrated with a variety of activities. With the embroidered special stamp “The Cross - a Powerful Symbol” (face value: CHF 9.50) specially designed for this occasion, we are also making a contribution to this politically significant event.
Up until 1984, women in Liechtenstein were excluded from the right to vote in national elections. Their wish to vote failed at the ballot box in 1971 and 1973. Three years later, the Landtag passed a law that enabled women to vote at a local level.
The voters of the capital of Vaduz introduced this in the same year and other municipalities followed suit over time. In 1981, 24 committed women launched the “Sleeping Beauty Campaign”. Through their persistent activities such as effective public relations work, talks with the Government and parliamentarians and a campaign at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, their wish to vote finally succeeded in 1984.
Two years later, women across the country were allowed to put their own crosses on the ballot paper for the first time and also stand for election themselves. One female candidate immediately made the leap into the then Landtag consisting of 15 members.
SEPAC – Main Tourist Attractions
The main tourist attractions can be found on the current special stamps issued by SEPAC, an association of the twelve smallest postal organisations in Europe. Our contribution shows “Vaduz Castle” (face value: CHF 1.90) - seen looking south from the castle lawn
Nestled in the majestic mountain landscape of our small country, the castle towers around 120 metres above the capital of Vaduz.
The landmark, which can be seen from afar, can be reached via an almost two-kilometre walk from the town centre. The origins of the castle are believed to date back to the 12th century. It was first mentioned in 1322 and changed hands several times over the centuries between counts and barons from the region until it came into the ownership of the House of Liechtenstein in 1712.
Under the name Hohenliechtenstein, it served as the family’s official residence for 20 years, after which it increasingly fell into disrepair. Around 1900, it underwent a thorough renovation and was restored under Prince Johann II. Prince Franz Josef II, the father of the current Prince Regnant, then had it extended and made habitable. Vaduz Castle has served as the permanent residence of the Princely Family since 1939.
120th birthday of Salvador Dalí
“Every morning when I wake up, I experience the greatest joy of all: being Salvador Dalí.” As one of the most important painters of the 20th century, the man with the twirled moustache liked to appear egocentric, provocative and decadent throughout his life. Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) is considered one of the main representatives of surrealism.
Born in Figueras, Catalonia, his artistic talent was recognised and encouraged as a child. At the age of 17, Dalí began his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid.
In 1927, he painted “Honey is Sweeter than Blood”, which heralded his development into a surrealist painter. His work took him to Paris and the USA before he returned to Spain, his home country, in 1948. He shared his life with his muse Gala, whom he had met and married during his years in Paris.
She acted as a manager of his career and served as a model for many of his paintings. The Haas Gallery in Vaduz organised exhibitions of works by Dalí in 1965 and 1987. It is not known whether the master himself was ever in the country. We are celebrating the 120th anniversary of his birth with our three-part special miniature sheet “Salvador I-III” (face value: CHF 1.20 and CHF 1.90 respectively).
Panorama - Natural Meadows
preserved to enable biodiversity and the sustainable development of landscapes. Our panorama stamps produced as se-tenants show a “Natural Meadow in Balzers” and a “Natural Meadow in Triesen” (left and right, face value: CHF 1.20 each).
The magnificent meadows develop on rather dry and less rich soils thanks to decades of cultivation without the use of fertilisers. Due to the lower nutrient content in the soil, it is not only the strongest grasses that thrive there.
As a result, meadows rich in species grow on which numerous endangered animal and plant species find suitable living conditions. In contrast, rich meadows have nutrient-rich and moist soils. They are created by regular fertilisation and frequent mowing. This serves to increase yields in fodder production, but leads to a decline in biodiversity.
According to the Liechtenstein Nature and Landscape Conservation Act, all of Liechtenstein’s natural meadow sites are among the habitats particularly worthy of protection. The Government pays management contributions to promote and conserve them. Permission is required for any interference in nutrient-poor habitats.
