2 Karlovy Vary Karlsbad Postcards WWII 1942 Feldpost Hospital Mail Swastika Eagle Cachet

Lot of 2 original vintage Karlsbad postcards showing famous locations in the historic spa city of Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary), Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic. The pair spans two different periods and is especially interesting because the later card was mailed during WWII in 1942 and bears a large official German eagle cachet/censor marking.

Card 1 – Karlsbad Café Geysirpark – WWII 1942

Color postcard captioned:

“KARLSBAD. Café Geysirpark”

The attractive view shows the outdoor café and gardens with tables, visitors and the ornate café building.

The reverse is particularly interesting for WWII postal-history collectors:

• Karlsbad postmark dated 2.4.42 – 13 (April 2, 1942)
• Addressed to Vienna (Wien)
• Large circular official German eagle cachet with swastika
• Cachet appears to read “Reserve-Lazarett I Karlsbad – Briefstempel”, indicating a Reserve Military Hospital I, Karlsbad official letter stamp
• Large wartime postal slogan “Vermeidet Rundfunk-Störungen!” – approximately “Avoid radio interference!”
• Handwritten wartime correspondence

This combination of a 1942 Karlsbad cancellation, Reserve-Lazarett military hospital cachet, eagle/swastika emblem and wartime postal slogan makes the card considerably more interesting than an ordinary Karlsbad tourist postcard.

Card 2 – Karlsbad Mühlbrunnen-Kolonnade

Earlier color postcard captioned:

“Karlsbad. Mühlbrunnen-Kolonnade.”

This is the famous Mill Colonnade (Mühlbrunnenkolonnade), one of Karlsbad’s best-known spa landmarks. The image shows the grand colonnade crowded with visitors, with surrounding hotels and buildings rising behind it.

The reverse is headed “Correspondenzkarte” and retains an Austrian 5 Heller postage stamp with a Karlsbad cancellation. Publisher marking along the front edge reads Brück & Sohn, Meissen, card/view number 1840.

This earlier card provides an excellent contrast with the WWII-period example and shows the long history of Karlsbad as one of Central Europe’s major spa destinations.

Historical Interest

Known historically in German as Karlsbad and today as Karlovy Vary, the city became part of Germany following the 1938 annexation of the Sudetenland and remained under German administration until the end of WWII. The 1942 card is therefore a genuine piece of postal history from Karlsbad during this period.

Condition:
Both are original period postcards with age-related wear, toning, corner/edge wear and other signs of handling. The cards have been mailed/written as shown. Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition. You will receive the exact two postcards pictured.

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YB4 series