150th anniversary of Vienna's First Mountain Spring Pipeline 18.08.2023
Vienna's water is renowned for its exceptional quality and delightful taste, which is not true for many other major cities.
The appreciation for Viennese water is hardly surprising, given its direct flow from the mountains to the city for the past 150 years. On 24 October 1873, the first mountains spring pipeline was opened, channeling spring water from the Rax-Schneeberg region into the city, and at the same time the mountain spring fountain on Vienna's Schwarzenbergplatz Square started operating. The visionary plan for the mountain spring pipeline was the brainchild of Antonio Gabrielli, with the geologist Eduard Suess leading the water supply commission that had decided on this project, ensuring a clean and reliable drinking water source for the city. Since its inception, water has flowed from numerous springs, cascading over a significant altitude difference of approximately 280 meters, and traversing several aqueducts before reaching the first water tank on Rosenhügel Hill in Vienna. Slightly over half of Vienna's water supply is facilitated through this iconic pipeline.
Value: 2.50 Euro
First day of issue: 20.09.2023
Stamp size: 42.00 x 29.00 mm
Graphic design: David Gruber
Printing: Joh. Enschedé Stamps B.V.
offset printing
Quantity: 220,000 stamps on sheets of 50 stamps