DDR year 1956 stamps Berlin’s Zoo set MNH
The 1956 Berlin Zoo (Tierpark Berlin) stamp set is a classic series from the German Democratic Republic (DDR) celebrating the opening and animals of the East Berlin zoo.
Set Details
- Issue Date: December 14, 1956
- Catalog Numbers: Michel (Mi) 551–556
- Designer: Axel Bengs
- Printer: Graphische Werkstätten Leipzig
- Composition: 6 Stamps
The Stamps in the Set
Each stamp features a different animal against a clean, two-tone background.
| Face Value | Animal (Subject) | Colors |
| 5 pf | Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) | Black-green / Dark brown-grey |
| 10 pf | Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) | Blackish-green / Dark brown-grey |
| 15 pf | Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) | Dark brown-violet / Dark brown-grey |
| 20 pf | Ladakh Wild Sheep (Ovis ammon vignei) | Dark brownish-red / Dark brown-grey |
| 25 pf | European Bison (Bison bonasus) | Blackish ochre-brown / Dark brown-grey |
| 30 pf | Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) | Dark blue-grey / Dark brown-grey |
Collector Notes
- Watermarks: The set was printed on paper with the “DDR and Posthorn” watermark. There are two types: Type 1 (5mm high letters) and Type 2 (6mm high letters). Type 2 is the most common for this issue.
- Historical Context: This set was issued to support the development of the Tierpark Berlin, which had opened just a year earlier in 1955 in the grounds of Friedrichsfelde Palace as East Germany’s answer to the West’s Berlin Zoo.
