Calendar. On July 23, 1873, exactly 152 years ago, the first postcard was given in the current Poland – a postcard depicting a view of the majestic Śnieżka, the highest peak of the Karkonosze. This event took place in the then Kingdom of Prussia, in today’s Karpacz or nearby town of Lower Silesia, which was then part of the German province of Silesia. Postcards, known at the time as “Korrespondenzkarte”, appeared for the first time in Austria in 1869 as a form of cheap and fast correspondence. Their huge popularity spread quickly throughout Europe, and only four years later it also reached the Polish lands. The first Polish postcard presented Śnieżka, which has been fascinated by travelers, artists and scientists for centuries. From the 18th century it was a popular destination, and the first shelter at its top – the chapel of St. Wawrzyniec – was founded there in 1681. In the nineteenth century, the development of railways and tourist infrastructure caused a real boom to travel in the Karkonosze, which was also reflected in the developing postcard market. Postcards with views of Śnieżka and the surrounding area became souvenirs of travel, means of communication and small works of art, documenting the beauty of the landscape and civilization changes in the region. It is worth noting that postcards at that time have not yet resembled those we know today. The first cards took place on the obverse to the address and stamps, and the illustration (if at all was) was on the reverse or was modest. Over time, in the last decades of the 19th century, colorful lithographs appeared that delighted with precision and aesthetics. Postcards also began to perform a promotional function – they advertised spas, holiday resorts, monuments and modern engineering achievements, such as gear railways, mountain hotels and viewing towers. Śnieżka, which is a symbol of the Sudetes, for decades remained one of the most -presented motifs on postcards from Silesia. #Historiapolski #postcard #Śnieżka #karkonosze #karpacz #filokartystyka #pocztapolska #dziedzictwo #dzedzicitywokultural #1873 #postcardis snow #sudes #Sudetts #mountains #mountains #historiakultury
Posted by HistoricaDayAfterDay