6th January 1940
Dresden: Gewerbehaus
This philatelically prepared cover is associated with the Tag der Briefmarke (Stamp Day) celebrations held at Dresden's Gewerbehaus on 7th January 1940, commemorating the birthday of German postal reformer Heinrich von Stephan (7th January 1831). Contemporary Dresden newspaper reports confirm that the NSV Kreis 3 organised a stamp-exchange meeting in the Gewerbehaus that day and that the Deutsche Reichspost established a special post office (Sonderpostamt) there for the occasion. The envelope was prepared by W. Muschick of Nordstraße 14, Bautzen, and bears the typed inscription “Sonderpostamt am 7.1.1940 im Gewerbehaus.” Interestingly, the visible postal cancellations appear to be dated 6th January 1940, the day before the advertised special post office; the precise reason for this apparent one-day discrepancy remains to be established. - Ref: 06.01.1940 - 36/50
Gewerbehaus
The Gewerbehaus at Ostra-Allee 13 was one of Dresden’s established cultural and public meeting venues, containing several meeting rooms and a large concert hall capable of accommodating around 2,000 people. Opened in 1870, it became particularly associated with the Gewerbehaus-Kapelle, the orchestra founded there in 1871 which eventually developed into the Dresden Philharmonic. The building was used not only for concerts but also for lectures, exhibitions, conferences and organised public gatherings, making it an appropriate venue for the Tag der Briefmarke celebrations and special post office (Sonderpostamt) held there on 7th January 1940. The Gewerbehaus subsequently suffered wartime damage and was destroyed during the bombing of Dresden in February 1945; it was never rebuilt. The cover therefore provides a postal connection with an important Dresden building that disappeared during the final months of the Second World War.
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