The Lindau Messenger – an ancient courier service

 

Date of Issue : 1 September 2014

The Liechtenstein Post will issue a special stamp on 1st September 2014 to commemorate an ancient courier service “The Lindau Messenger”. The Lindau Messenger was a courier service operated between Lindau at Lake Constance and the Italian city of Milan up to the beginning of the 19th century. The Lindau Messenger transported goods, money and letters, crossing through areas of Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Italy on his way.

Each of the first four countries named is currently issuing its own stamp on this topic. The Liechtenstein stamp “Lindauer Bote” (value: CHF 1.40) shows suitable pictorial elements and gives the names of each stop. In addition, the altitude profile of the route, which reached its peak on Splügen Pass at 2113 metres above sea level, is depicted on the small 8-stamp sheet.

The exact date when the Lindau Messenger started to operate is not documented. However, it is assumed that he was already travelling along the arduous route on a fairly regular basis towards the end of the 15th century. In good weather, he completed the journey in five-and-a-half days but in snow and ice the trip took quite a bit longer.

At that time, Lindau and Milan were trading centres and re-loading points at crossroads of traffic routes. They thus became the points of departure for transports across the Alps. The messenger brought home luxury goods such as silk, gold thread, textiles of all kinds, exotic fruit and weapons.

Towards the end of the 17th and at the beginning of the 18th century, individual travellers were also allowed to accompany the messenger, the most famous of whom was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He used the guidance of the Lindau Messenger across the Alps in May 1788 when returning to Germany from his travels in Italy and paid 122 guilders for it. In 1826 the transport services of the Lindau Messenger were stopped for political and economic reasons.

Club News

Release of NAARM Special Cover and NAARM My Stamp by India Post - 1 July 2014, Hyderabad

 

Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, renowned agricultural scientist, inaugurated the Centenary Batch of the Foundation Course for Agricultural Research Service (FOCARS-100) on 1 July 2014. The Andhra Pradesh Postal Circle issued a Special Cover affixed with the NAARM My Stamp to mark the occasion at the campus of the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad on 1st July 2014. Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, released the Special Cover on FOCARS-100 and NAARM My Stamp with Smt. Mariamma Thomas, Director Postal Services, Andhra Pradesh Postal Circle and Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Director-General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Ravi Viswanathan, Editor, NAARM who conceptualized the Special Cover facilitated the release. (Special Cover approval no. AP/04/2014)

Watch Video of the Special Cover release ceremony :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V29T6p1iz78

The National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), Indian Council of Agricultural Research was established in 1976 in Hyderabad with the Mission “To enhance Leadership, Governance and Innovation Capacities of NARS through Capacity Strengthening, Education, Research, Consultancy and Policy Support.

The Foundation Course for Agricultural Research Service (FOCARS) is induction training for newly recruited scientists of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The objectives are to train the participants in various aspects of agricultural research and project management including developing skills for managing interdisciplinary research. The first batch of FOCARS started on 1st Sept. 1976 and till the 99th batch 5,561 scientists were trained.

 

Courtesy - Ravi Viswanathan, Editor, NAARM , Indian Philately Digest

Lighter Side

I wish to share here  some non philatelic pics because it is just related with the Rainbow….. These are   photos of very special rainbow called Fire rainbow taken by a pilot after take off from Bombay airport. I thank Mr Prashant Pandya for sharing these beautiful rainbow pics with me !!

Fire Rainbows are a rare phenomenon that only occurs when the sun is higher than 58 deg above the horizon and it's light passes through cirrus clouds mode of ice crystals.