News from the world of philately

400 years since the Upper Austrian Peasants’ War

A period marked by uprisings

Especially during the 30 Years War, Upper Austria was the scene of much unrest, with the so-called Upper Austrian Peasants’ War taking place in 1626.
Following the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, at which the Protestant Estates were defeated, the predominantly Protestant Upper Austria was pledged to the Catholic Bavaria and the Counter-Reformation driven forward. When the Protestant population revolted against the fact that they were now being allocated Catholic priests, the uprising was put down, and the leaders were subjected to a gruesome punishment in the Frankenburg Dice Game of 1625. The peasant uprising broke out the following year.

It was led by the charismatic but, in terms of war strategy, inexperienced farmer Stefan Fadinger and his brother-in-law, the innkeeper Christoph Zeller. Under their leadership, the peasant army, comprising around 40,000 men, succeeded in gaining control over almost all of Upper Austria apart from Linz and Enns. During the siege of Linz, Stefan Fadinger was badly injured during a reconnaissance mission on 6th July 1626, passing away a few days later. Shortly afterwards, Zeller also fell, and advancing Bavarian and imperial troops were ultimately able to defeat the insurgents. Although he was only a prominent figure for a matter of weeks, myths soon grew up around the person of Stefan Fadinger, with songs and tales telling of his heroic deeds in the battle for religious freedom and equality. The stamp shows the peasant leader with a goblet taken from Lambach Abbey in his right hand. The painting in gouache on parchment is dated 1627 and comes from the holdings of the Castle Museum in Linz.

Graphic design: David Gruber
Value: 1,00 euros
Pre-issue day: 08.05.2026
First day of issue: 08.05.2026
First day: 4020 Linz
Stamp size: 33,30 x 40,00 mm
Perforation measurement: 12 x 12
Printing technique: Offset printing
Quantity: 210.000 stamps on sheets of 50 stamps
Order no: 226190

125 years of the Almtal Railway from Sattledt to Grünau

A train journey through the Alm Valley

Austrian Post is congratulating the traditional Almtal Railway in Upper Austria on the 125th anniversary of its opening with a commemorative stamp.
Nowadays people generally refer to the entire stretch of railway from Wels via Sattledt to Grünau im Almtal as the Almtal Railway, but from a historical point of view, the name in fact only applies to the section from Sattledt to Grünau. The line from Wels to Sattledt and on to Rohr was opened in 1893. A new section starting in Sattledt was added in order to improve access to the Alm Valley, running via Pettenbach and Scharnstein to Grünau, with this branch line opening in 1901. 

From the outset, the railway line was operated by the State Railway, nowadays meaning Austrian Federal Railways. Since the 1960s, diesel trains have run on the Almtal Railway, with the 5047- and 5022-series diesel engines that have been specifically designed for local travel being used nowadays. The railway line is used for commuter travel and travel to and from school, as well as for tourism. The entire stretch from Wels to Grünau is roughly 43 kilometres long, with trains taking around 45 minutes to traverse the approximately 30-kilometre-long Almtal Railway from Sattledt to Grünau. Transportation of goods on this section was ceased in 2002. In recent years the infrastructure of the entire section has been extensively modernised and electrification was considered. Nevertheless, the future of passenger travel on this line remains uncertain due to low numbers, with a partial takeover by the state of Upper Austria currently under consideration.

Graphic design: Peter Sinawehl
Value: 1,55 euros
Pre-issue day: 08.05.2026
First day of issue: 22.05.2026
First day: 4643 Pettenbach
Stamp size: 40,00 x 30,00 mm
Perforation measurement: 12 x 12
Printing technique: Offset printing
Quantity: 160.000 stamps on sheets of 50 stamps
Order no: 226200

The European ground squirrel – Spermophilus citellus

Cute and vigilant 

The new series “Endangered animal species” kicks off with the European ground squirrel, presenting with it the first of the indigenous animals whose very survival is under threat.
The little ground squirrel – sometimes also known as the European souslik – is a rodent and belongs to the squirrel family. European ground squirrels are indigenous to south-eastern Central Europe, their range in Austria stretching from the east of Lower Austria through to central Burgenland. They primarily eat leaves, seeds and roots, but will also not turn their noses up at beetles and caterpillars. Before hibernating, they build up a store of fat that keeps them going through until the spring.

Ground squirrels form large colonies and live in burrows. Each animal digs its own burrow, of which there are two types: nest burrows with multiple branches that are used to raise young and for hibernation and simple burrows that are used to hide from danger. When keeping watch over their surroundings, the ground squirrels stand up on their back legs, emitting a whistle to warn of impending danger. Consequently, they need an open, steppe-type habitat with short grass as found in dry lawns, straw meadows, fallow land, wasteland and the margins of fields. Here in Austria they mostly find these conditions in vineyards, but also in parks, on sports pitches and golf courses, and at the edges of airports. Ground squirrels are highly endangered in Austria and are therefore subject to strict protections. The individual populations, such as those in Vienna’s Stammersdorf area and in the vineyards around Krems, are isolated from one another, and intensive farming and ever-increasing building are reducing their habitat still further.

Series: Endangered animal species
Graphic design: Liz Wurzinger
Value: 1,25 euros
Pre-issue day: 08.05.2026
First day of issue: 30.05.2026
First day: 4645 Grünau im Almtal
Stamp size: 30,00 x 30,00 cm 
Small sheet size: 120,00 x 192,00 cm
Perforation measurement: 13¼ x 13¼
Printing technique: Offset printing
Quantity: 230.000 stamps on sheets of 10 stamps
Order no: 226180
Small sheet order no: 226750