PROPAGANDA POSTCARDS
(1933)

This page was last updated
22-Sep-2024 02:37

15th DEUTSCHER TURNFEST
(15th GERMAN GYMNASTICS FESTIVAL)
(22nd/30th Jul 1933)

BACKGROUND: There were at least a dozen commemorative cards published for the Stuttgart Gymnastics Festival held between 22nd and 30th Jul 1933 that did not have pre-printed stamps in addition to the printed-to-private-order postcards.

The patron for the event was President Paul von Hindenburg and an estimated 600,000 people attended the competitions at the newly renamed 'Adolf Hitler Arena'. 120,000 people actively participated in the events and this was the occasion of one of Hitler's first mass propaganda addresses. Hitler only attended the festival on the last day, together with Vice Chancellor Franz von Papen, Foreign Minister Konstantin von Neurath, and head of propaganda Joseph Goebbels. Stuttgart was chosen as the venue as early as 1918 and the event was held once every 5 years.

SPECIAL CANCELS: There were two special cancellations used from 20th Jul until 1st Aug 1933. The first one, a rectangular design featuring a horse standing on its hind legs with the 'DT' logo behind and inscribed "15' Deutsches | Turnfest | Stuttgart 1933", can be seen to the right. The second cancel is a circular cancel inscribed "Stuttgart | 15. Deutsches Turnfest" features a small "DT" logo just below the word "Stuttgart". This design was available in two sizes, a 5.5mm and a 6.25mm diameter circle. Counter letters available were:

* 9 *
* 9 b
* 9 c
* 9 d and
"Cannstadt"
[Bochmann Catalogue Page 708].

line

TURNFEST ENTRY TICKET

The front of the ticket has the inscription "Vertragsgesellschaft der Deutschen Turnerschaft Neue Frankfurter allgemeine Versicherungs-aktienGesellschaft unter Mithaftung der ALLIANZ UND STUTTGARTER VEREIN VERSICHERUNGS-AKTIEN-GESELLSCHAFT"

'Contractual company of Deutsche Turnerschaft Neue Frankfurter allgemeine Versicherungs-aktien-Gesellschaft with joint liability of ALLIANZ UND STUTTGARTER VEREIN VERSICHERUNGS-AKTIEN-GESELLSCHAFT'

PRINTED TO PRIVATE ORDER
PP127-C-3

The following series of ten printed-to-private-order postcards was produced by Kunstanstalt Schuler of Stuttgart and features a 6Rpf Hindenburg Medallion stamp and catalogued as PP127-C-3/01 to PP127-C-3/10. Alternate versions do not feature a pre-printed stamp.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/01: depicts the festival flag waving in front of a silhouette of the city of Stuttgart.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/02: shows a silhouette of the city as seen through the light blue FFFF emblem. This card does not have the 6Rpf pre-printed stamp.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/03: shows the city of Stuttgart leaning towards the left with the festival emblem in the top right-hand corner and the sports venue in the foreground.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/04: depicts a Swastika flag in front of sports arena and the Rotenberg Chapel. This example does not have the pre-printed stamp.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/05: depicts lines of gymnasts marching in formation carrying multiple flags and Swastika banners. This example does not have the pre-printed stamp.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/06: depicts a gymnast facing to the right, holding a large flag with the FFFF emblem.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/07: has a smiling female gymnast holding a flag with five banners (the centre one being a Swastika) blowing in the wind behind her.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/08: features the sports arena and a view of the city in the background.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/09: depicts four flags one behind the other. The first features the tournament emblem on a white flag, and the fourth is a Swastika on a red background.

ABOVE: PP127-C-3/10: shows a large oak leaf with a red, white and black ribbon curving around it. Another card without the pre-printed stamp.

line

GRAPHISCHE KUNSTANSTALT SCHULER

Another impressive card from Graphische Kunstanstalt Schuler, this one does not appear to be part of a set.

MAN WITH BEARD
TURNVATER JAHN

There were at least five different versions of this card that features a popular view or building in Stuttgart, as well as 'Turnvater Jahn'. This first card features the Königsbau (The King's Building) in Stuttgart, built by King Wilhelm I, the king of Württemburg (1781-1864). Today the building is a shopping centre.

This second card depicts an image of the Staatstheatre which is home to the state’s opera and the venue for numerous theatre productions and concerts.

GYMNAST HOLDING WREATH

STREET PARADE

STOIC LOOKING GYMNAST

STUTTGART CITY MULTIVIEW #1

STUTTGART CITY MULTIVIEW #2

STUTTGART CITY MULTIVIEW #3

MULTIVIEW #4

GYMNASTS

STUTTGART TOWNHALL

The postcards below were published by Franckh-Verlag of Stuttgart as is 'Nr.12'. The front of the left-hand card depicts the official logo of the games: a black stallion rising up on its hind legs with the 'DT' symbol in the background and the inscription "15.Deutsches Turnfest 1933. Stuttgart". The right-hand card has no such logo or description but it does have the special slogan stamp used to cancel mail before and during the festival. The photograph on the reverse side is the Stuttgart City Hall.

Sadly, this building (built between 1901 and 1905) in the Flemish late Gothic style was almost totally destroyed in Allied air raids on the city in 1944 and a new City Hall building has since been erected.

STUTTGART SUNRISE

These two postcards were published by Velag J. Zeigler of Stuttgart and are numbered Z68 (left) and Y96 (right). The imagery is the same with the exception of a small window on Y96 (right) that shows a scene from a sprint event. There is no such window on Z68 (left). In addition, the Y96 example from my collection was postally used on the last day of the event (30th Jul 1933) and has been cancelled with a regular STUTTGART CDS as well as the tournament slogan cancel inscribed "15. | Deutsches | Turnfest | Stuttgart 1933".

FLAGS

NUMBER on FRONT

The publisher "Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Stuttgarter Fachphotographen" also produced a series of cards each of which has a number on the picture side of the card.

ABOVE: Card No. 359

ABOVE: Card No. 461 (Unknown Publisher)

ABOVE: Card No. 469

ABOVE: Card No. 481

ABOVE: Card No. 507

ABOVE: Card No. 627

ABOVE: Card No. 640 (Unknown Publisher)

ABOVE: Card No. 649

ABOVE: Card No. 663

ABOVE: Card No. 801

ABOVE: Card No. 1298K

ABOVE: Card No. 1320

ABOVE: Card No. 1399

line

COMMEMORATIVE POSTCARD BOOKLET

In addition to all of the individual postcards above there was a commemorative booklet consisting of 10 different postcards published by "Graph. Kunst- und Verlagsanstalt !. Weber & Co., Stuttgart", entitled "Zur Erinnerung an das 15. Deutsche Turnfest in Stuttgart 1933"