No, isn't a mistake! The overwhelming majority of the more than 5,000 inhabitants of Treze Tílias (Dreizehnlinden in German), a municipality located in the state of Santa Catarina, has Austrian ancestors. It was founded on 13 October 1933 by Andreas Thaler, former minister of agriculture in Austria, who managed, despite strong political opposition, to obtain funds and to persuade some impoverished peasant families from Tyrol and Vorarlberg to emigrate in Brazil, where to start a new life. He drowned in circumstances insufficient explained during a flood in 1939, but the emigration continued until 1959, when the Austrian economy has fully recovered.
The little town, built in Alpine-influenced timber framing style of architecture, lies in a setting reminiscent of the upland regions of Europe. The inhabitants have preserved their European heritage, speaking the dialect of the Vorarlberg region of Austria, wearing their traditional costumes and enjoying the substantial dishes of their homeland. The town was named after a poem by Friedrich Wilhelm Weber, Dreizehnlinden, that means Thirteen Lime Trees in English and Treze Tílias in Portuguese.
The economy of Treze Tílias is based on agriculture, tourism, and woodworking. The dairy Tirol Milch is the largest enterprise in the place and is the second largest in Brazil. 700,000 litres of milk of 12.000 farmers from the periphery of 600 km are here daily processed. Regarding the tourism, annually in the middle of Octobers Treze Tílias celebrates the memory of the Austrian immigrants through a festival. The woodcarvers who work here are known throughout Brazil. Gotfredo Thaler, a grandson of the town's founder, carved the great figure of Christ in Brasilia Cathedral.
About the stamps
The stamps, depicting a sapateiro (shoe repairman), a manicure (manicurist), respectively a costureira (dressmaker), are part of the series Profissões (Professions), about which I wrote here.
This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday, hosted on Beth's blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy. Click on the button below to visit all the other participants.
References
Treze Tílias - Wikipedia
Treze Tílias - Qwika
sender: Genesio Wagner (direct swap)
sent from Parobé (Rio Grande do Sul / Brazil), on 27.09.2012
What a lovely postcard! My Grandfather's lineage comes from Romania. I've always felt such a tug in my heart for that country. Thank you for sharing--and happy Postcard Friendship Friday!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Then we should make a swap. :) If you are interested, send me a pm on facebook.
DeleteWhat a nice postcard and informative article to go with it!
ReplyDeleteThanks. :)
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