FDC from Austria／FDC de l'Autriche

Orient Express／Orient-Express

This stamp block is a philatelic Premiere, but is he the first joint issue of Austria and Romania. The chosen theme is "Orient Express", those legendary train connection, therefore, which once linked the two countries in a very luxurious manner. This attractive block in the background motif shows a map on which the relevant route is listed by the Paris Ostbahnhof, the Ferris Wheel and the famous Mosque Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, furthermore, the word "Orient Express" and the impressive track plate. The two brand images themselves each show historic locomotives of the Orient Express and the two drive-through cities of Salzburg and the former royal summer residence in Sinaia, Romania.
The story: In the period until the Second World War, the Orient Express was a luxury train of the "Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, of Paris and Constantinople (now Istanbul) combined. Man wrote the 5th June 1883, when he for the first time from the station Paris East in the East drove - a feudal hotel train the first class lounge, sleeping and dining cars. In the early years the journey ended in the Romanian city of Giurgiu, travelers to Constantinople had to cross the Danube by ferry, then travel with a normal train to Varna and then take from the ship. It was not until 1888, the Orient Express runs continuously over Budapest, Belgrade and Sofia to Constantinople. The travel time on the 3186 km long route was almost 70 hours, there were local dishes and various folk performances to entertain the well-heeled passengers. Known of the Orient-Express was not only by its luxury and the audience of European high-finance and nobility, but also through some spectacular incident. Sun in 1891 brought a Greek robbers the train derailed west of Constantinople, kidnapped four men and left them free only after a substantial ransom had been paid. A few years later, an envoy of the French government, was murdered in his compartment, and even 1950, the railway at that time was long a normal D-train, a U.S. military attaché of the Eastern bloc agents was attacked and robbed.
After a checkered history in recent decades wrong end only a small remnant of the legendary service between Strasbourg - Vienna in December 2009, however, this route has been canceled, which meant the end for the Orient Express. Several novels and famous movie was certainly not insignificant in this train to glory. On behalf of many others here are Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" and the James Bond film "From Russia with Love" is mentioned.