The exhibition is dedicated to the history of the postcard

2023-08-22 20:15:01

The former postmaster, bank advisor and honorary chairman of the Hirschbach farm furniture museum, Josef Plöchl, will be exhibiting his collection of postcards there from September 3rd.

In the exhibition “Hirschbach im Mühlkreis in historical views – 1899 to today, from the correspondence card to post, greeting and picture postcards” you can see pictures with historical views and short stories with many memories. A 66-page exhibition catalog provides further details on the postcards and the correspondence card. “In this exhibition and in the catalogue, I have tried to describe the collected views of Hirschbach with a few references and anecdotes from the past 120 years. The viewer has the opportunity to see the changes and developments in the town of Hirschbach,” says Josef Plöchl.

History of the postcard

The correspondence card was introduced by the General Directorate for Post and Telegraph Affairs in Vienna and was printed on October 1, 1869 as the first postcard in the world at the Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office. The postcard is therefore an Austrian invention. In 1869, the professor of economics Emanuel Herrmann (1839–1902) expected economic benefits from this. It should be possible to send short notices (up to 20 words) on an open card for a lower fee than letters.

Introduced successfully

A few months after his first suggestion in a newspaper article, the Austrian Post published the first “correspondence cards”. Until 1875 they could only be sent within Austria or on the basis of bilateral agreements.

The correspondence card became the most important message transmitter for decades, especially in business and official transactions.

The exhibition will be opened by consultant Fritz Fellner on Sunday, September 3 at 3 p.m. The exhibition can be seen until October 29, 2023 in the Farmhouse Furniture Museum in Hirschbach.