Object numberM1993/023:002
DescriptionGreen and white perforated postage stamp from Theresienstadt ghetto, depicting a landscape scene with a road, river, trees and mountains in the distance.
The best known postal item from Theresienstadt is the parcel admission stamp.
In the late 18th century, the Austrian emperor Joseph II ordered the construction of a fortress in Terezín, a small town in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic).
On June 10, 1940, the Gestapo took control of Terezín. They established a prison in the small fortress and a Jewish ghetto within the town walls. This ghetto would be known as Theresienstadt, after the German name for the town. Beginning on 10 July 1943, a new process was implemented for residents of Bohemia and Moravia wishing to send packages to residents of the ghetto. If a resident of the ghetto wished to receive a parcel, he could fill out a request every two months. The request would be forwarded to the Jewish Council in Prague, who would then send a notice to the proposed sender of the parcel. The sender, if in the Prague area, could stop in and pick up the stamp. If the proposed sender was not in the Prague area, the stamp would be attached to the notice and mailed to the proposed sender. The stamp had to be attached to the parcel itself. Because the wrapping paper was commonly destroyed as part of the parcel inspection, genuine used copies are scarce.
Upon receipt of the parcel, the recipient could then send a pre-printed card to the sender acknowledging that the parcel had arrived safely.
The stamp, printed in Prague, was designed by a Czech with the initials F.C. These initials can be seen with a magnifying glass among the roots of the first tree on the left. It is estimated that 75,000 copies of the stamp were used.
The best known postal item from Theresienstadt is the parcel admission stamp.
In the late 18th century, the Austrian emperor Joseph II ordered the construction of a fortress in Terezín, a small town in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic).
On June 10, 1940, the Gestapo took control of Terezín. They established a prison in the small fortress and a Jewish ghetto within the town walls. This ghetto would be known as Theresienstadt, after the German name for the town. Beginning on 10 July 1943, a new process was implemented for residents of Bohemia and Moravia wishing to send packages to residents of the ghetto. If a resident of the ghetto wished to receive a parcel, he could fill out a request every two months. The request would be forwarded to the Jewish Council in Prague, who would then send a notice to the proposed sender of the parcel. The sender, if in the Prague area, could stop in and pick up the stamp. If the proposed sender was not in the Prague area, the stamp would be attached to the notice and mailed to the proposed sender. The stamp had to be attached to the parcel itself. Because the wrapping paper was commonly destroyed as part of the parcel inspection, genuine used copies are scarce.
Upon receipt of the parcel, the recipient could then send a pre-printed card to the sender acknowledging that the parcel had arrived safely.
The stamp, printed in Prague, was designed by a Czech with the initials F.C. These initials can be seen with a magnifying glass among the roots of the first tree on the left. It is estimated that 75,000 copies of the stamp were used.
Production periodWorld War II (1939-1945)
Subjectpostal services, concentration camps
Object namepostage stamps
Dimensions
- whole width: 35.00 mm
whole depth: 45.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mrs. Marta Reiss