This
contribution seeks to foster the use of German stamps as a part of the DaF
(Deutsch als Fremdsprache, German as a foreign language) education at the
universities. Stamps are carriers of culture and, thus, represent a nation both
inside and outside its geographical borders. Due to this double function stamps
are a valuable material to be used in lessons focusing on culture and country
knowledge. Stamps can be used to introduce, counterpoint, or to deepen a
certain topic or theme. Further, stamps are a good material for contrastive
scrutiny, an aspect enjoying a central position in the DaF education. This
contribution presents a short history of the German stamps from the beginning
till today and discusses questions related to the responsibilities for issuing
stamps in Germany. A short excursion will evidence how stamps could be abused
for propaganda purposes. The excursion, together with several other examples
presenting the thematic variety of stamps, should – even if not explicitly
stated – encourage individual use of stamps as a part of the education. After a
short description of the structure of the country knowledge and culture courses
at the University of Turku, the German stamp “175 years of Deutschlandlied” is
used as a concrete case study in order to exemplify how this stamp can be used
to handle the topic “German national anthem” as a part of a master’s level
course.