German postage stamps represent visually the breadth and accomplishments of German culture, whether in literature, art, architecture, science, politics, philosophy, or music. Through both function and design they encourage contact between cultures. One stamp designer, Manfred Gottschall, captured this idea when he recognized “wie die Briefmarke weltweit Brücken spannt und nicht nur mit dem Ziel, eine Transportgebühr zu bezahlen, sondern auch durch ihren bildlichen und künstlerischen Inhalt Kontakte knüpfen kann” (“how stamps build bridges worldwide, not only with the goal of paying a transport fee, but also how they establish contacts through their visual and artistic content”).
The stamps found on this Web site are actual stamps used by the German Post Office and are reproduced here with permission of the Deutsche Post AG, the German Federal Ministry of Finance (Bundesministerium der Finanzen), and the individual graphic designers responsible for each stamp (who own the copyrights to the images after 1968). We are grateful to the Deutsche Post AG, the German Federal Ministry of Finance, and especially to the numerous graphic designers for their generosity in allowing us to use the stamps. We also acknowledge the kind efforts of the Museumstiftung für Post und Telekommunikation, the Bund Deutscher Grafik-Designer e.V., the Allianz Deutscher Designer AGD, and the Verwertungsgesellschaft Bild-Kunst in providing contact information for the numerous graphic artists represented here.
Below are the stamps found on this Web site with their title, Michel number (the classification system used by German philatelists), date of issue, and designer with copyright permission.
| Stamp | Title | Michel | Date | Designer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
150 Jahre Enzviadukt Bietigheim |
N/A |
2003 |
Grit Fiedler |
 |
100 Jahre deutscher Film |
Block 33 (Bund) |
06.09.1995 |
Professor Ernst and Lorli Jünger |
 |
Nobelpreisträger deutschsprachiger Literatur |
Block 16 (Bund) |
16.02.1978 |
Professor Gerd Aretz |
 |
1749 Goethe 1949 |
49 (Franz. Zone (Baden)) |
12.08.1949 |
k.A. (copyright permission by Deutsche Post AG) |
 |
Jakob Fugger / Der Reiche / 6. März 1459 |
307 (Bund) |
06.03.1959 |
Ernst Gilbert (copyright permission by Deutsche Post AG) |
 |
Wohlfartsmarke 1967 / Frau Holle |
311 (Berlin) |
03.10.1967 |
Gyorgy Stefula (copyright permission by Deutsche Post AG) |
 |
Wohlfahrtsmarke 1960 / Rotkäppchen |
340 (Bund) |
01.10.1960 |
Hans Michel and Günther Kieser (copyright permission by Deutsche Post AG) |
 |
Deutsche Funkausstellung Stuttgart 1965 |
481 (Bund) |
28.07.1965 |
Professor Heinz Schillinger (copyright permission by Deutsche Post AG) |
 |
Karl Marx *5.V.1818 |
558 (Bund) |
29.04.1968 |
Herbert Kern (copyright permission by Deutsche Post AG) |
 |
Ricarda Huch 1864-1947 |
827 (Bund) |
15.01.1975 |
Professor Gerd Aretz |
 |
Martin Buber 1878-1965 |
962 (Bund) |
16.02.1978 |
Professor Gerd Aretz |
 |
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749-1832 |
1121 (Bund) |
18.02.1982 |
Elisabeth von Janota-Bzowski |
 |
Nofretete Berlin |
1398 (Bund) |
12.01.1989 |
Professor Fritz and Sibylle Haase & Knels |
 |
Deutsche Einheit 3. Oktober 1990 |
1478 (Bund) |
03.10.1990 |
Paul Effert |
 |
9. November 1989 (Durchbrochene Mauer) |
1481 (Bund) |
06.11.1990 |
Manfred Gottschall |
 |
9. November 1989 (Brandenburger Tor) |
1482 (Bund) |
06.11.1990 |
Manfred Gottschall |
 |
Georg Chrisoph Lichtenberg 1742-1799 |
1616 (Bund) |
11.06.1992 |
Professor Gerd Aretz |
 |
Wassily Kandinsky 1866-1944 |
1619 (Bund) |
11.06.1992 |
Professor Ernst and Lorli Jünger |
 |
George Grosz 1893-1959 |
1656 (Bund) |
11.03.1993 |
Professor Ernst and Lorli Jünger |
 |
Internationale Funkausstellung 1993 |
1690 (Bund) |
12.08.1993 |
Design by Hans Günter Schmitz |
 |
Miteinander leben! |
1725 (Bund) |
10.03.1994 |
Professor Fritz and Sibylle Haase & Knels |
 |
150 Jahre Deutscher Bühnenverein |
1857 (Bund) |
03.05.1996 |
Professor Ernst and Lorli Jünger |
 |
Europa / Vom Fischer und seiner Frau |
1915 (Bund) |
05.05.1997 |
Professor Ernst Kößlinger |
 |
Europäische Zentralbank Frankfurt am Main |
2000 (Bund) |
16.07.1998 |
Paul Effert |
 |
Deutscher Fußballmeister 1998 / 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
2010 (Bund) |
10.09.1998 |
Lutz Menze |
 |
450 Jahre Sächsische Staatskapelle |
2025 (Bund) |
12.11.1998 |
Manfred Gottschall |
 |
Erich Kästner 1899-1974 / 100. Geburtstag |
2035 (Bund) |
18.02.1999 |
Gerhard Lienemeyer |
 |
1948-1949 / Berliner Luftbrücke |
2048 (Bund) |
04.05.1999 |
Angela Kühn |
 |
50 Jahre Europarat |
2049 (Bund) |
04.05.1999 |
Manfred Gottschall |
 |
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
2073 (Bund) |
12.08.1999 |
Ursula Maria Kahrl |
 |
Goethe-Institute |
2181 (Bund) |
05.04.2001 |
Frau Irmgard Hesse Zeichen + Wunder GmbH |
 |
Lebenslanges Lernen |
2209 (Bund) |
09.08.2001 |
Professor Fritz and Sibylle Haase & Knels |
 |
Kampagne für mehr Toleranz |
2235 (Bund) |
10.01.2002 |
Professor Peter and Regina Steiner |
 |
Post! |
2250 (Bund) |
04.04.2002 |
Grit Fiedler |
 |
Museum für Kommunikation |
2276 (Bund) |
08.08.2002 |
Corinna Rogger |
 |
225. Geburtstag Heinrich von Kleist |
2283 (Bund) |
10.10.2002 |
Ingo Wulff |
 |
Sonderbriefmarkenserie "Für die Wohlfahrtspflege": Oldtimer |
2292 (Bund) |
05.12.2002 |
Professor Ernst and Lorli Jünger |
 |
Dauerbriefmarkenserie "Frauen der deutschen Geschichte": Annette von Droste-Hülshoff |
2295 (Bund) |
27.12.2002 |
Professor Gerd Aretz and Oliver Aretz, |