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You are here: Home / Provisional Postmarks / Darbėnai

Darbėnai

March 4, 2014 By Vytautas Doniela

Darbėnai is a township in western Žemaitija, 40 km north of Klaipėda. The first P.O. in Darbėnai was opened during the czarist period in ca. 1908, named Dorbiany, but was closed during the German occupation in World War One. The locality acquired some importance as a railway station when during WWI the Germans completed (on October 1, 1915) a strategic rail line linking Memel / Klaipėda and Libau / Liepaja via Priekule in Latvia. During the war, the R/S staff and troops sent their mail to either Memel or Libau, but after the war, in 1919 the German Grenzschutz guards serving there were provided with a separate freiwillige P.O. 458 set up in nearby Bajohren (Bajorai) in Memelland.

After the war, Lithuanian Pašto Valdyba issued a mandate (dated mid-August, 1920) to Jonas Sudmonas to organize a post office in Darbėnai with a salary of 600 auksinai per month, effective from the day of opening. Further details are not known. For stamps, the P.O. was supplied with Fourth Berlin Issue, followed by the Sėjėjas Issue, etc.

Not having a regular canceller, the postmaster at first cancelled the franking by hand indicating place and date. To date, no other provisional markings or cachets have been recorded.

Darbenai 1919 canceling in manuscript

In late 1920 or 1921 a regular dated postmarker was provided.

Lithuania Darbenai 1922 and 1929

Cancelling in MS:

24/9 [1920] single, Berlin IV 10 (colln. Brazdeikis)
25/9 [1920 ?] cvr to Germany, Berlin IV 30, 50 colln. Lapas

Filed Under: Provisional Postmarks

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