150th Birthday of Egon Rheinberger

Philately Liechtenstein is commemorating the 150th birthday of architect and artist Egon Rheinberger with a three-part souvenir sheet (†1936). Born in Vaduz in 1870, Rheinberger moved to Munich to study art after completing his grammar school education. He pursued his interest in medieval castles at a young age on various journeys. It was on one of these journeys that he produced the "Sketch of the Maultasch Ruins near Appiano" in South Tyrol (face value: CHF 1.30).

However, Egon Rheinberger made a name for himself especially as an architect. In 1899, he began working for Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein and carried out work on Liechtenstein Castle and Kreuzenstein Castle in Lower Austria. The reconstruction of Gutenberg Castle in Balzers from what were previously ruins, which was initiated and carried out by Rheinberger between 1905 and 1912, is of great significance to the Principality of Liechtenstein. This is evidenced by the second stamp on the souvenir sheet depicting a section of a "Wall Painting in Gutenberg Castle" (face value: CHF 2.20). A "Portrait of Egon Rheinberger" (face value: CHF 2.80) rounds off the special issue with hot foil embossing in gold designed by Hans Peter Gassner.