Accession Number: 2022.02.14.49
Artist: Richard Borrmeister
Stamp: Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934), 2nd President. Issued on April 4, 1938.
Postmark: Both postmarks are from Nuremberg, the City of the Nazi party rallies
Historical background:
Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October, with more than six million international and national visitors attending the event. Locally, it is called d’Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds, Theresienwiese. Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since the year 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modeled after the original Munich event.
During the Nazi regime Oktoberfest was used as Nazi propaganda. In 1938 Hitler renamed the festival to Volksfest, translating to the people’s festival. There were no Volksfest from 1939-1945. From 1946-1948 Munich only celebrated the Autumn Fest where the stronger Oktoberfest beer was not permitted.
