Burghausen

Burghausen is a town in Bavaria on the Salzach river close to the Austrian border. It claims to have “the world’s longest castle” (AH). All the court cards presumably represent historical characters but unfortunately they are not named. The kings are very loosely based on the Bavarian pattern. The aces show historic buildings, each one named in minuscule lettering. Animals and musical instruments can be found amidst the decoration on the numeral cards. Three of the suit-signs have been ‘modified’ from the traditional German ones: hearts have become roses, leaves have become clover (or shamrock) leaves, and bells have metamorphosed into thistles. Jonny Petri’s designs use rich colours throughout and he draws extensively on Burghausen’s Celtic past. The back design takes the form of a stained glass window with the arms of the town at each end. This was an edition of 5,000 packs.

Above: Burghausen souvenir playing cards made by Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag, Nürnberg, Germany, 1997. 36 cards in plastic box. Size: 56 x 100 mm. The back design takes the form of a stained glass window with the arms of the town at each end.

Reference

Braun, Franz: Schriftenreihe “Spielkarten”, Band 9: Die Spielkarten aus Nürnberg. p.113, NV 1997/3.