Serial numbers O02324964 AND E02324453
Both of these notes are in pristine UNC condition with the exception of a light fold on the upper right of the 2nd note..
They were issued on 16th June 1939 which was 3 months prior to the outbreak of World War 2 in Europe which is generally accepted as 1st September 1939.
The Obverse of the note has an Austrian woman in portrait holding an Edelweiss flower.
The Reverse side depicts a lumberjack and a seed sower placed either side of a representation of Lake Gosau and Mount Dachstein the second highest mountain in the Northern Limestone Alps. The mountain itself is situated on the border of Upper Austria and Styria in central Austria and as such is the highest point in each of those states.
The notes bear the stamp of the President of the Bundes Republik.
Design
2 x Reichsbanknotes for Zwanzig Reichsmark
1939Â Treasury Note
16th June 1939Â issue date
Rosenberg catalogue R178a
160 x 80Â mm
History
Lake Gosau is situated on the Gosaubach stream within the Salzkammergut region of Austria.
It is a heavily wooded area of Austria and the time these bank notes were released it was a major center of forestry and timber.
If one travels south from Gosau there is a road leading to the Vorderer Gosausee a pristine lake with a magnificent view of the Dachstein Mountains which has over 20 peaks reaching higher than 2500 meters.
In 1938 the entire area was annexed by the German Reich along with the rest of Austria. Gosau then became part of what was titled “Gau Oberdonau”. The control of the area back into Austrian hands did not occur until the reconstitution of Austria in 1945 at the end of the war.
