This article provides an overview of the Austrian post-offices presence in Crete and the use of French currency on Austrian stamps in the Ottoman Empire.
Postal History
Along with several other nations, the
Austro-Hungarian Empire maintained its own
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
s in
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The three post offices, in
Chania
Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion.
The muni ...
,
Heraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...
and
Rethymno
Rethymno ( el, Ρέθυμνο, , also ''Rethimno'', ''Rethymnon'', ''Réthymnon'', and ''Rhíthymnos'') is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants ...
, operated from 1890 until 1914, replacing earlier Austrian Lloyd postal agencies and official Austrian postal agencies which operated in turn in these towns starting in 1837 and 1845 respectively.
Stamp issues
These offices used Austrian stamps denominated or surcharged in various currencies (
Lombardy–Venetian soldi, Turkish paras and piastres, and French centimes and francs) or, much more rarely, used regular not surcharged Austrian stamps.
French currency issues
In order to better compete with the French post offices, regular Austrian stamps were overprinted in French currency in 1903 (values 5 Centimes to 4 Francs). The last set was in 1908–1914 in designs similar to the Austrian set commemorating the 60th anniversary of the
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
's accession.
Many stamp collectors and catalogues have traditionally referred to just the French currency issues as "Austrian Post Offices in Crete", distinguishing them from the Turkish currency issues which have been referred to as "
Austrian post offices in the Ottoman Empire
Austria and other European nations maintained an extensive system of post offices in the Ottoman Empire, typically motivated by the unreliable postal system of the Ottomans.
First and last service period
Austria gained permission in 1721 from the ...
" or as "Austrian Levant". However, stamps in both currencies were in use both in the offices in Crete and in many other Austrian post offices within the Ottoman Empire. Ferchenbauer explains
[Ferchenbauer p.458 "offiziell nicht angeben konnte"] that the reason is that it was not officially permitted to admit the competition outside Crete island.
File:1884 RETTIMO File5976.jpg, 5 soldi (Austrian Levant) cancelled at RETTIMO Rethymno
Rethymno ( el, Ρέθυμνο, , also ''Rethimno'', ''Rethymnon'', ''Réthymnon'', and ''Rhíthymnos'') is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants ...
in 1884
Image:Austrian Levant 1888-1pi.png, An Austrian Levant stamp with a Cretan postmark, possibly ''Candia''
File:1901 2piaster CANEA File5975.jpg, 2 piaster overprint 50 heller pair cancelled at CANEA Chania
Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion.
The muni ...
in 1901
File:1907 5c CANDIA ohneL.jpg, 5 centimes (issue 1906) overprint cancelled in 1907 at CANDIA Heraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...
Image:Stamp Austrian PO Crete 1903 5c.jpg, This 5-centimes overprint stamp was cancelled at Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
File:Issue1906 10c SMYRNA File5973.jpg, 10 centimes (issue 1906) cancelled at Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
in Turkey
See also
*
Austrian post offices in the Ottoman Empire
Austria and other European nations maintained an extensive system of post offices in the Ottoman Empire, typically motivated by the unreliable postal system of the Ottomans.
First and last service period
Austria gained permission in 1721 from the ...
References and sources
;References
;Sources
*
Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue - Part 2: ''Austria & Hungary'', 6th Edition 2002, pp 148–152
*
Rienk M. Feenstra & Friends, ''Crete: Postal History, Postage and Revenue Stamps, Coins & Banknotes'' (collectio, 2001, )
AskPhil – Glossary of Stamp Collecting Terms*
Rossiter, Stuart & John Flower. ''The Stamp Atlas''. London: Macdonald, 1986, p. 331.
{{PostalhistoryEurope
Ottoman Crete
Cretan State
Philately of Greece
Philately of Austria
1890 establishments in the Ottoman Empire