Philatelically prepared, but postally used cover franked with the full set (plus) of Scott 486-489. Mailed 7 July 1938 from Diisseldorf 5 to Mahra u. Mellrichstadt.
Diisseldorf (128 ft.) in Rhenish Prussia, was first mentioned in 1159 as a fishing village on the Diissel, a tributary of the Rhine. Its population in 1938 was 498,000. The city is pleasantly laid out with attractive gardens. Its industries include important steel works, cotton spinning and weaving, the manufacture of chemicals, etc. It rivals Essen as the most important town in the Rhenish-Westphalian industrial district. The fine arts have enjoyed special encouragement at Diisseldorf from early times. The Academy of Art was founded in 1767 and became one of the chief centers of German art.
Mahra iiber Mellrichstadt per se is not identified, but Mellrichstadt is 50 miles north of Bamberg in southern Germany. Its 1938 population was approximately 2500. It is noted for St. Kilian’s Roman Catholic Church built in the 14"' century.