The Olympics through East German collectors’ eyes: card No. 16 from a series of 100 pictures for the VII Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo 1956. The photo shows wooden ticket booths below an Alpine hotel hung with flags, with spectators queuing. The caption on the back is rather ironic – there were so many booths around town that they proved unnecessary, and the “crowd” should be taken with a pinch of salt. Published by VEB Volkskunstverlag Reichenbach for the GDR state cigarette industry; the album was ordered from Leipzig for 4.20 DM.
Key facts
- Series: VII. Olympische Winterspiele in Cortina d’Ampezzo, 100 pictures
- Number: Bild 16
- Subject: ticket booths (Kassenhäuschen) in Cortina d’Ampezzo
- Publisher: VEB Volkskunstverlag Reichenbach/V. for the Volkseigene Zigarettenindustrie (GDR)
- Album: ordered via Buchhaus Leipzig, Querstraße 4–6, price 4.20 DM
- Print codes: III 18/97, A 246/56 DDR
- Year: 1956
- Text on back: German
Expert note – frequently asked questions
What does the text on the back say?
Roughly: “A well-meant precaution that was unfortunately in vain – the many ticket booths all over town. What you see here could be called a ‘rush’.” The quotation marks signal irony: the queues were far smaller than the organisers expected.
What does the code A 246/56 DDR mean?
It is the GDR printing licence number. The “56” refers to 1956, so the card was issued in the same year as the Games.
How were these cards collected?
The cards came with cigarettes from the GDR state tobacco industry. Collectors stuck them into an album ordered by post from a Leipzig bookshop. Complete sets of all 100 cards are rare today.