New stamps issued in May 2024 by Post Luxembourg

150th anniversary of Auguste Liesch stamp

One of the new stamps issued on 14th May by Post Luxembourg commemorates the life of Jean-Baptise Auguste Liesch, who is best known to the general public in Luxembourg as a writer.  The stamp shows Jean-Baptise Auguste Liesch and an illustration from his most famous work D’Maus Ketti. The stamp can be purchased from Post Luxembourg, single stamps are available for €1.

Above: the new stamp issued on 14th May shows August Liesch and an illustration from his most famous work D'Maus Ketti.

Who is Jean-Baptiste Auguste Liesch? 

Jean-Baptiste Auguste Leisch was born on 28th August 1874, in Bad Mondorf. After completing his education, he studied law in Nancy and Paris and began his career as a judge in Grevenmacher. 

From 1918 he served as Minister for Justice and Minister for Public Works as a liberal politician in two governments led by Emile Reuter. From 1921 to 1932, he was Inspector-General for Customs and went on to be a member of the mixed board of directors of the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union until his retirement in 1945. He was also a member of the Council of State of Luxembourg from 1937 until his death in 1949. 

Auguste Liesch is best known to the people of Luxembourg as a writer. His most famous work, published in 1936 is D’Maus Ketti (Mouse Ketti), which is a version of Aesop’s fable of the Town Mouse and the Country Mouse which he specifically adapted for Luxembourg. Auguste Liesch also wrote at least 48 poems in Luxembourgish, many with a satirical tone, as well as a novel in German and tales in both German and French. A compilation of his work was published under the title Allerhand in 1947. 

125th anniversary of Jean-Pierre Beckius stamp

Jean-Pierre Beckius was a Luxembourgish painter born 125 years ago on 4th August 1899, to celebrate his 125th year, Post Luxembourg have released a stamp featuring his image. The stamp features a self-portrait of Jean-Pierre Beckius and can be purchased for €1.

A history of Jean-Pierre Beckius

Born in 1899 in the Moselle village of Mertert, Beckius’ artistic talent was already apparent at a young age and he began to attend the Handwierkerschoul (now Lyceee des Arts et Metiers) in Luxembourg City at the age of 15. He later went on to study at the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Beax-Arts in Paris for seven years. 

Above: A new stamp issued for the painter Jean-Pierre Beckius, shows a self portrait by the artist

Beckius travelled around Italy between 1928 and 1930 and during this time he produced over 100 pieces of work. When he married Gabrielle Breyer in 1933, he lived with her in the Netherlands before returning to his home town of Mertert in the summer of 1934, where he set about focussing on creating motifs of his homeland. It was during this period that he painted his famous Moselle views. 

During his lifetime Beckius created 600 recorded works, most of which are housed in private collections, but it is estimated he could have produced 1,000 pieces of art in total. Although the art he produced is highly impressionistic, some of his pieces show hallmarks of both naturalism and realism. 

To mark his 125th birthday, an exhibition featuring his artwork is being held at the Villa Vauban in Luxembourg City from 30th November 2024 – 1st June 2025. 

50 years of SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde stamp

Since 1974, SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde in Luxembourg has supported the well-being and development of children around the world. To mark the 50th year of the organisation Post Luxembourg have released a brand-new stamp, priced at €1. 

Above: The new stamp issue marking 50 years of SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde in Luxembourg

SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde and their mission

SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde had operated in Luxembourg for the past 50 years, dedicating itself to improving the lives of children within their families and communities worldwide. The organisation is a member of the SOS Children’s Villages International federation, which operates under the High Patronage of HRH The Grand Duchess. 

One of the organisation’s current focuses are education initiatives in Cape Verde, Colombia, Loas, Morocco and the Central African Republic. They also contribute to emergency response during conflicts, natural disasters and major crises that affect children and families. 

European Elections stamp 

A new stamp from Post Philately has been released to mark the elections for the European Parliament taking place from 6th – 9th June 2024. The stamp shows stars from the EU flag on a background of the same blue featured on the flag and can be purchased from €1 from Post Luxembourg.

Related article: 70 years of the Court of Justice of the European Union

What are the European Parliament Elections?

Elections for the European Parliament are held every five years across all member states of the European Union, this year they’re taking place from 6th – 9th June. The number of seats held by each country is dependent on population but there is a minimum representation for smaller countries. 

Above: A new stamp has been issued for the European Parliament elections taking place from 6th - 9th June

Asteroid Day - 3 

The third and final stamp being released in the special series celebrating Asteroid Day, which takes place annually on 30th June, illustrates “Space Resources” and addresses the topic of mining and the use of space resources. The first stamp in the Asteroid Day series was released in 2022 and depicted “Defense”, in 2023 the second stamp used the motif of “Discovery". 

Above: The third in a series celebrating Asteroid Day represents "Space Resources"

The 2024 Asteroid Day stamp’s layout has been created by Reza Kianpour, who also created the layout for the 2022 and 2023 Asteroid Day stamps. Asteroid Day -3 can be picked up from Post Luxembourg for €1.

Related article: 3D stamp for Asteroid Day

What is Asteroid Day? 

In 2016 the SpaceResources.lu initiative was set up in Luxembourg and The Grand Duchy became the first country in Europe and second country worldwide to create a legal framework for the exploration and use of space resources. This initiative is led by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) which is partnered with the Asteroid Foundation. 

The foundation organises a number of events over the course of the year which the public can attend. One its major events is Asteroid Day which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2024 after being initiated in 2014. Workshops, conferences and other events will be held on 30th June worldwide to provide information on asteroids, associated risks and their potential as well as to build awareness of the topic.

EUROPA – Underwater Fauna and Flora 

This years EUROPA special stamps show two sea dwellers from the age of the dinosaurs. The two stamps feature illustrations drawn by Jean-Marie Poissenot as part of his first ever collaboration with POST Philately and show the Plesiosaur and Ichthyosaur. The stamps will be available to purchase from Post Luxembourg, the stamp featuring the Ichthyosaur for €1 and the stamp depicting the Plesiosaur for €1.40. 

Above: One of the EUROPA stamps issues shows an ichthyosaur

Related article: Stories & Myths

Luxembourg and dinosaurs 

In the Grand Duchy, several remains of long-extinct sea dwelling dinosaurs have been found including a plesiosaur fossil in Sanem in the 1990s and an ichthyosaur in the Cloch d’Or district in the early 2020s. 

Above: The second stamp depicts a Plesiosaur

For palaeontologists at the National Museum of Natural History, some finds present a major challenge as the fossils need to be as intact as possible. This is especially true in the case of the ichthyosaur as the discovery is quite rare and the research into this particular species is very valuable. Both the plesiosaur and ichthyosaur are now on display in the National Museum of Natural History in Luxembourg.