Poland Writer FDC

Poland FDC
Name: 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Paweł Jasienica
Date of Issue: 10 November 2009

10th November 2009 is the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Paweł Jasienica, one of the most widely-read Polish historical writers of the 20th century. The ease of translating his thoughts into words, the skill of expressing them and presenting historical facts and profiles of significant personalities of the ages under study, all rendered his books much sought-after. Among the most well-known works of Jasienica there is the essayistic historical synthesis of pre-partition Poland entitled "Polska Piastów" (1960), "Polska Jagiellonów" (1963) and "Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów" (1967-1972) which was reissued on numerous occasions. Following its first edition Jasienica came under criticism for promoting what was called a personalised approach to history (the belief that individuals have the power to influence history) which stood in contradiction with the Marxist philosophy of history of those days. The then authorities never stopped looking for a reason to prohibit the publishing of Jasienica's books in hope that he would be erased not only from people's memory, but also history. The readers, however, didn't fail him.

There are very few things in life as contagious as freedom
Paweł Jasienica was an advocate of freedom both in its literal sense and its figurative meaning, and he fought for it both with his pen and his sword. He was born to a family of long patriotic traditions - his grandfather took part in the January Uprising, and his great grandfather was a soldier in the November Uprising. The writer was born in Symbirsk at the Volga river and his real name was Leon Lech Beynar (he adopted a different name following the war in order to protect his wife from the NKVD as she, as a widow, remained in Vilnius which was then occupied by the Russians). He stayed in Russia until 1920. Between 1928 and 1932 he studied history at the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius and later worked as a teacher in Hrodna where he published a number of historical essays. Following the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939 he fought in the September campaign and actively conspired against the occupants as a member of the AK . When his squad was broken up in August 1944 he was taken captive and transported to Białystok where he endured interrogation and imprisonment by the NKVD. He was then drafted to a unit of the People's Army of Poland, but managed to escape and reach the 5th AK brigade in Vilnius. In July 1945 he was appointed the adjutant of the brigade commander Zugmunt Szyndzielarz a.k.a. "Łupaszka." Wounded on the night between 8 and 9 July, he left his brigade avoiding arrest and execution and took refuge in the parish house in the village of Jasienica.

Only slaves remain passive, but he who has tasted freedom wants ever more of it
In 1946 following the war he started working in Kraków as editor for "Tygodnik Powszechny" using an adopted name Paweł Jasienica. Having been arrested by the secret police (UB - Urząd Bezpieczeństwa) in 1948 and subsequently released, he joined the PAX association. Between the late 1959 and 1962 he presided over the Association of Polish Writers (Związek Literatów Polskich, ZLP) and between 1966 and 1970 he was Vice-Chairman of the Pen Club. In 1964 he signed the protest of 34 intellectuals campaigning against press censorship, and in March 1968 he supported the students' protest for which he was expelled from the ZLP. The pro-establishment press called him a mason and a man of unpleasant past. In 1968 Władysław Gomułka publicly suggested Jasienica was double-faced in an attempt to discredit the writer and provide a reason for prohibiting the publication of his books and articles. Jasienica felt the painful burden of those unfair accusations until the end of his life. He died in 1970 and was buried at the Powązki cemetery in Warsaw.

New stamp and First Day Cover
In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Paweł Jasienica Poczta Polska introduced a stamp featuring a black and white photograph of the writer on the background of books. The FDC presents a stack of books and one page of typescript with the author's handwritten corrections. The issue is accompanied with an occasional date stamp in the shape of an open book, in use in the Warsaw 1 Post Office.

Poland Volleyball FDC

Poland FDC
Name: European Championships in Women's Volleyball "Poland 2009"
Date of Issue: 25 September 2009

The 2009 Women's European Volleyball Championship was the 26th edition of the European Volleyball Championship, organised by Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball. Hosted in Bydgoszcz, Łódź, Katowice and Wrocław in Poland, from September 25 to October 4, 2009. More...

Poland Ship FDC

Poland FDC
Name: The Tall Ships' Races "Gdynia 2009"
Date of Issue: 30 June 2009

Who knows what fate human race would have faced if it had not been for navigation. Navigation was appreciated by the ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Vikings... But for ships, there would not have been any trade development, new lands would not have been discovered, the wars would have been different. A Romans' maxim "Navigare necesse est" ("To sail is necessary") reflected perfectly the necessity of navigation. Through centuries, the sailing ships prevailed on the seas. Even though they were majestic and gorgeous and driven by the power of the wind, working there was not easy. Not until the 19th century were they ousted by ships propelled by steam power. In this day and age, sailing is, above all, sport and hobby. The training vessels are used to train future sailors.

The races of the tallest and prettiest ships attract masses of admirers of sea and all those who have dreamt of remote, adventurous sea journeys. During such events as the one in Gdynia, everybody has a chance to set their foot on board of a real sailing ship.

Regatta "The Tall Ships' Races"
The idea of the races dates back to the 30's of the 20th century. First regatta took place in 1956. Since the 70's the races have been ran annually. Aside from sizeable sailing ships, the competition is also open to smaller racing yachts. Gdynia received the races three times in 1974, 1992, and 2003. There are over a hundred of units, mainly training ones, participating in this year's regatta on the Baltic Sea. The races lead from Gdynia to St. Petersburg. The next port hosting the flotilla is Turku in Finland, and the last one Lithuanian Klaipeda. The races take place during the first and third phase whereas the second phase is devoted to cooperation, exchange and mutual meetings of the crews. Each port receiving the regatta has multitude of attractions - exhibitions, concerts, fairs, crew parades and first of all, the final Grand Parade of Sail.

New Stamp and envelope on FDC
On the occasion of the Tall Ships' Races, Poczta Polska issued a stamp in block. The stamp presents a silhouette of "Dar Mlodzieży" against the panorama of the port of Gdańsk. "Dar Młodzieży" is a frigate built in 1982 that belongs to the Naval Academy of Gdynia. The FDC envelope presents the ships as though they were observed through field glasses - equipment worth having during such an event as the races in Gdynia. The issue is accompanied by an occasional date stamp in use in Gdynia 1 Post Office.

Philately
Apart from the stamp in block, on the occasion of the races, Poczta Polska issued two sets of post cards. The first one presents 12 most famous sailing ships participating in the regatta "The Tall Ships' Races". These are the following Polish ships: "Dar Młodzieży", "Zawisza Czarny", and "Pogoria", Russian: "Sedov" (the largest sail training vessel), "Mir" (twin of "Dar Młodzieży"), "Shtandard" (a replica of tsar Peter 1 the Great), Norwegian: "Christian Radich" and "Sorlandet", German "Alexander von Humboldt" with her characteristic green sails and hull, Danish "Georg Stage", Dutch "Eandracht" and British "Lord Nelson" - the only sailing ship whose 50% half of crew may be disabled.

The other set of post cards issued in cooperation with Stowarzyszenie Żeglarsko-Szantowe (Sailing and Shanty Association) "Gejtawy" ("Clewlines") presents 7 most beautiful Polish sailing ships. These are: "Zawisza Czarny", ORP "Iskra", SV "Elemka", STS "Generał Zaurski", STS "Lwów", SY "Zew Morza" and celebrating this year the centenary of launching SV "Dar Pomorza".

The projects of the stamp and the FDC envelope was created with photographic materials: panorama of Gdynia - author Kacper Kowalski, "Dar Młodzieży" - author Tomasz Degórski, sailing ships - author Maurycy Śmierzchalski.

Poland Comic FDC

Poland FDC
Name: Tytus, Romek and A'Tomek
Date of Issue: 29 May 2009

Tytus, Romek and A'Tomek
It is hard to believe that the comic book about Tytus, Romek and A'Tomek is already 52 years old, and its creator has turned 86 this year. Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski, known as Papcio Chmiel (Papa Chmiel), was born in 1923. He participated in the Warsaw Uprising. In his youth, he served in the Polish Army where he started out on his artistic career as a supervisor of a bulletin. Since 1947 Henryk Chmielewski published cartoons in "¦wiat Przygód", and then, for many years in "¦wiat Młodych" magazine. In the recent past Papcio Chmiel published an autobiography whose second volume "Tytus zlustrowany" (Tytus screened) is, as the author himself puts it, "the reminiscences of a wacky gaffer and grey-moustached artist". According to what the author said, past May he created the last episode of the cartoon story entitled: "Tytus, Romek i A'Tomek jako warszawscy powstańcy 1944, z wyobraĽni Papcia Chmiela narysowani" (Tytus, Romek and A'Tomek as Warsaw insurgents, drawn from Papa Chmiel's imagination). Papcio Chmiel was invited to decorate the wall of the Warsaw Uprising Museum with a mural. Tytus, Romek and A'Tomek that appeared on the wall were presented as scouts of a field post office.

Henryk Chmielewski is the Knight of the Order of Smile. In 2007 he was honoured with the Glora Artis Medal.

Half a century of Tytus
Tytus de Zoo is an anthropoid ape that is accompanied by tall and thin Romek and short and thickset A'Tomek. Their adventures have entertained and educated several generations of children and youth. The first episode of Tytus, Romek and A'Tomek takes place in cosmos. Next episodes (still black and white) appeared in "¦wiat Młodych". Since the mid 60's new, book version volumes of adventures of Tytus, Romek and A'Tomek began turning up in bookstores. In total, there were 31 books, such as, among others, "Tytus zostaje harcerzem" ("Tytus becomes a scout") (1966), "Tytus kosmonaut±" (Tytus the spaceman) (1968), "Tytus na dzikim zachodzie" (Tytus in the Wild West) (1974), " Wyprawa na Wyspy Nonsensu" ("The expedition to the Nonsense Island") (1977), "Tytus tajnym agentem" ("Tytus the secret agent") (1997), "Tytus się żeni" ("Tytus is getting married") (2000), "Tytus graficiarzem" ("Tytus the graffiti writer") (2002), "Tytus kibicem" ("Tytus the fan") (2008).

New stamp and First Day Cover
Three stamps with the characters from Papcio Chmiel's comic book present them in the form of photographs from police files, which show exact height of a photographed person. As a result, we now know exactly how tall Tytus, Romek and A'Tomek are. At the bottom of each stamp, there is an author's signature. The issue is accompanied by an occasional date stamp taking form of speech bubbles in use in Warsaw 1 Post Office.

Philately
Poczta Polska has been issuing stamps devoted to children's literature and its popular characters for many years. In 1962 it issued a six stamp set with J. M. Szancer's illustration relating to Maria Konopnicka's tale "O krasnoludkach i sierotce Marysi" ("Little Orphan Mary and the Gnomes"). In 1968 there was an issue of set of stamps with the most popular characters from tales, and in 1987 and 2005 Poczta Polska brought out two sets regarding Andersen's fairy tales. In 1993 it issued stamps presented characters appearing in Kornel Makuszyński's stories: Koziołek Matołek (Matołek the Billy-Goat) and Małpka Fiki-Miki (Fiki-Miki Monkey), and in 1996 a set entitled "Brzechwa Dzieciom" ("Brzechwa for children").

Poland EUROPA FDC

Poland FDC
Name: EUROPA 2009 - Astronomy
Date of Issue: 05 May 2009

EUROPE 2009. The International Year of Astronomy

It is fairly common to regard astronomy as a pre-science, since the contemplations of the nature and behaviour of celestial bodies gave rise to some of the oldest theories on the structure of our world. In this cosmologic shape, astronomy was the father of philosophy (in particular the Greek one), which, in turn, allowed more specific branches of knowledge to develop.
The year 2009 was proclaimed the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations, an idea that came from the International Astronomy Union (IAU) which this way wanted to commemorate certain important anniversaries. To begin with, it was 400 years ago that Galileo first used a telescope to gaze at the sky. The invention was a breakthrough and the discoveries it allowed are now the foundations of astronomy. Also in 2009, 40 years will have passed since the first man set foot on the Moon, and 90 years since the IAU was established.
"Discover your Universe", the motto of the International Year of Astronomy, makes us realise that a passion for astronomy is not restricted to scientists, but is shared by many ordinary people who watch the sky for pleasure. The infinite Universe is now within reach of any curious eye, and its mysteries stand ready to by explored using only a telescope and a computer. For the convenience of the hobbyists, this year's celebrations will include various committees for the organisation of educational schemes, shows, exhibitions and the like.

Astronomy in Poland

It's probably not common knowledge that the star of Nicolas Copernicus was not the first one to shine in the history of Polish astronomy. In 15th century the Jagiellonian University of Krakow, despite its relatively short tradition, earned itself the title of the best centre of studies in astronomy throughout Europe owing to the research of such scholars as Marcin Bylica and Wojciech z Brudzewa. Even though the academic level of the university deteriorated in the years to come, it became known all over Europe again thanks to the achievements of two researchers born in the city of Gdańsk - Jan Heweliusz and Stanisław Lubienicki, especially with the results of their observations of the Moon and the comets. Although the loss of independence marked a significant break in the development of sciences in Poland, the community of astronomers revived shortly after World War I ended with a new tool - the outstandingly effective and widely used theory of the cracovians, developed by another Polish scholar, Tadeusz Banachiewicz. More recently, that is in the second half of 20th century, the work of Bohdan Paczyński, who discovered the gamma radiation and worked out its theory, gained worldwide renown. That was only matched by the recent discovery made by Aleksander Wolszczan, a Polish astronomer who spotted the first planet outside our Solar System, revolving around a dying neutron star.

New stamp and First Day Cover

On account of the International Astronomy Year 2009, Poczta Polska prepared a stamp featuring a symbolic representation of the way celestial observations are reflected in human language. Both the stamp and the FDC present drawings of constellations and a star which emits rays of light presented as very long sequences of digits. The issue is accompanied by an occasional date stamp, in use in Warsaw 1 Post Office.

Philately

As every year, the EUROPE stamps join in the competition. Anyone can view them on the PosEurop website and vote for their favourite one up to 8 August 2009. Last year, when the theme of the competition was "letter", Hungary won the first prize. Wishing the best of luck to our stamp this year, we would like to encourage everybody to cast their vote.

EUROPA Series FDCs:
2009 Astronomy:
Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia.

2008 Letter:
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Vatican.

Poland Easter FDC

Poland FDC
Name: Easter
Date of Issue: 01 April 2009

New Postage Stamps and First Day Cover

As every year, Poczta Polska joins in the celebrations of the Feast of the Resurrection, that is Easter, by preparing occasional postage stamps for its customers. This time the emphasis is on the spiritual meaning of Easter, which is why the stamps feature religious elements. Out of the four major motives of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, that is the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Removal from the Cross and Entombment and, lastly, the Resurrection, Poczta Polska presents the final two. It is worth noting that Poczta Polska, by displaying the excellent works of a presently lesser known Polish painter Szymon Czechowicz, promotes the native arts. The stamps feature the works entitled "Entombment" ("Złożenie do grobu", 1747) and "Christ Resurrected" ("Chrystus Zmartwychwstały, 1758), both of which belong to the collections of the National Museum in Kraków. In iconography the latter one is also known as "Resurrected Christ appears before the apostles" ("Chrystus ukazujący się apostołom po zmartwychwstaniu"). The purple and blue colour scheme of the FDC symbolises Christ's transition from death (purple is recognised by the church as the colour of mourning) to eternal life in heaven. The FDC is accompanied by an occasional date stamp, in use in the Warsaw 1 Post Office.

The painter Szymon Czechowicz

Szymon Czechowicz (1689-1775) was born in Kraków, and he died in Warsaw. At first he was educated in the estate of Franciszek Maksymilian Ossoliński, and afterwards (around 1711) he left for Rome where he stayed until 1730. During his stay in the Eternal City he studied at the famous Saint Lucas Academy under the tuition of Benedetto Lutti. It is there that his first achievement was born when he was awarded for his drawings entitled "Samson tears a lion apart" ("Samson rozdzierający lwa") and "The victorious return" ("Zwycięski powrót z wyprawy"), kept in the archives of the school until today. Following his return to Poland he settled in Warsaw and took up painting religious works and portraits, in which he soon excelled. He also established a school for painters in the city. In 1972, that is Prior to his departure from Rome, he had painted the works entitled "Removal from the cross", "The vision of saint Anthony," and "The Holy Mother guarding Kraków" for the church of the Scholarum Piarum order in Kraków, and also one entitled "The Assumption" for the cathedral church in the town of Kielce - all of which soon earned him the reputation of a talented painter of religious motives. Additionally, he also became famous for his portraits, and not much later such prominent figures as high ranking church officials and famous laymen, including the bishop of Kraków Jan Aleksander Lipski, the great chancellor of Lithuania Jan Fryderyk Sapieha, and the Voivode of Sandomierz Jan Tarło, commissioned him to paint their portraits and religious works. Grand Crown hetman Jan Klemens Branicki ordered as many as seven paintings for the parish church in Tykocin and two for the church in Tyczyn, and the grand Crown hetman Wacław Rzewuski placed a commission for paintings for the castle chapel and the castle building in Podhorce. Had it not been for his apprentices, working under the strict supervision of the master, Szymon Czechowcz would never have been able to fulfil so many orders.

Not only painting

The theme of Easter has appeared in all possible forms of art including various genres of music. In fact, the very first Polish song is one dedicated to Easter. "Christ has resurrected" ("Chrystus zmartwychwstan jest"), sang in churches until this very day, is also the oldest poetic work of art ever recorded in our native tongue. Świętosław of Wilków included one of its stanzas in his Graduał* for the Płock cathedral church (presently missing). By studying the song's individual linguistic forms, the researches of language have concluded that it's actually even older - some believe that as much as two centuries! The lyrics which we know today were written later, however. Just think - we can relate to the legacy of our ancestors by cultivating our native faith and spiritual tradition.

Krystus zmartwychwstał je,
Ludu przykład dał je,
Eż nam z martwych wstaci,
Z Bogiem krolowaci. Kyrie [eleison]

*graduał - here it means a book of Gregorian chant including liturgical songs for the entire church year.

Poland Sculpture FDC

Poland FDC
Name: Polish Contemporary Sculpture - Władysław Hasior
Date of Issue: 06 March 2009

Władysław Hasior (1928-1999)
The artist was born in the town of Nowy Sącz. He graduated from the Liceum Technik Plastycznych art school in Zakopane where he was educated under the tuition of professor Antoni Kenar. Between 1952 and 1958 he studied at the faculty of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, receiving professional guidance in the atelier of professor Marian Wnuk. Having finished his studies, he embarked on numerous journeys and took part in many exhibitions, which was made possible owing to, among others, a scholarship of the French Ministry of Culture. Up to 1968 he taught in his former secondary school in Zakopane, and in the early 70s he worked in Wrocław, lecturing at the Higher School of Fine Arts and creating stage design for the Polish Theatre there.

Hasior was an active participant of the artistic life of Zakopane, paying particular attention to the activities of his gallery, which was established in 1985 as a branch of the Tatra Museum. That museum was also the beneficiary of Hasior's last will, and received his works after the artist's death. Many of Hasior's other creations are kept by state museums in various Polish towns and cities and in national galleries worldwide, including Stockholm, Oslo, Paris, Rome, Milan, Montevideo and Sao Paulo, not to mention those in the hands of the private collectors.

The work
Władysław Hasior was an outstandingly original artist who never copied any trends. In his work he utilised various kinds of material, including some finished objects (such as dolls, pitchforks, mirrors) and fragments of others. That was because he claimed that the traditional sculptor's medium is not capable of conveying the message he wanted to send. He used to say "I'm using materials which have some meaning. Each and every object has its sense, and if you put them together, you get an aphorism. [...] I believe the artist's work consists in provocation, both in the intellectual and the creative aspect."

In his outdoor creations the artist utilised fire, water, wind, sound and glass. One of his original creative inventions was using holes made in the ground in order to cast cement figures. Critics saw the influences of Dadaism, surrealism and pop art in Hasior's work. He was also inspired by folk arts, and was a careful observer of everyday reality, in particular that of the countryside. The artist liked to watch and document the cheap aesthetics of something he called "county arts"(sztuka powiatowa), which he then referred to in his work. He also reached into the mythology and conjured up memories of the war, invariably presenting the subjects in an unconventional manner and attaching new meaning to trite symbols, mixing macabre and cruelty with grotesque, irony and jest. His exhibitions were full of controversy, but at the same time prompted the viewers to reflection.

Banners
Hasior's assemblages, inspired by religious procession banners, started to appear in the mid 1960s. Although they were constructed with the use of fabric, plastic objects, wood, metal or glass, the artist called them "paintings." They are very large, reaching between 1,5 and 4 metres in height and around 1 metre in width, and they are a mixture of both solemn symbols and the everyday aspects of life, which is seen from their titles such as: The Banner of St. Pensioner (Sztandar Św. Emeryta), The Banner of the Bird Spider (Sztandar Ptasznika), The Banner of Mona Lisa (Sztandar Mony Lisy), The Banner of Poland (Sztandar Polski), The Banner of the Black Angel (Sztandar Czarnego Anioła), The Flinging Blaze Banner (Sztandar Blaskomiotny), The Banner of Ecstasy (Sztandar Ekstazy). The artist used those banners in his outdoor performances such as the procession called The Feast of the Blooming Apple Tree (Święto Kwitnącej Jabłoni) in Łąck.

New Stamps and First Day Covers
On 14 July 2009 ten years will have passed since the death of Władysław Hasior. Poczta Polska has prepared a series of four stamps featuring photographs of the artist's works - his assemblages: The Herald (Zwiastowanie) and The Fly (Mucha), and the Banner of the Green Poet (Sztandar Zielonej Poetki) and The Night Undressing Banner (Sztandar - Rozbieranie do snu). The first day covers feature the works entitled The Locust (Szarańcza) and The Sacrificial Banner (Sztandar Ofiarny). The issue is accompanied by an occasional date stamp, in use in Warsaw 1 Post Office.

Did you know?
Hasior's works were an inspiration for other artists, and were referred to in, among others, the poems of Stanisław Grochowiak. Also, Marek Grechuta entitled his series of short works "Hasior's Banners".

Poland Love FDC

Poland FDC
Name: I Love You
Date of Issue: 06 February 2009

Valentine's Day in Europe
This day originates from the feast of St. Valentine, the bishop of Terni - a town in Italy located near Rome. According to a legend, the bishop Valentine blessed the bond between a heathen legionnaire and a young Christian woman. Since such relationships were strictly forbidden by the emperor, he was locked up in a dungeon and subjected to torture. He died a martyr's death on 14 February around the year 270 AD. Incidentally, it was also the day on which Rome celebrated a feast of harvest and marriage vows. Since the year 900 AD, this heathen feast has been celebrated as a day of love oaths and promises of friendship, and dedicated to St. Valentine. Presently, on 14 February marriages and engaged couples gather in Terni, where the main basilica of St. Valentine is located, in order to renew their pledges of love.

Valentine's Day across the ocean
Valentine's Day gained its present setting, which is very different from its European original characterised by a blend of joy and solemnity, in the United States of America. Americans are the leaders in commerce, and nobody can match their skills in this area. The scope of the feast has been extended (presently it's generally a feast of love) and it has been added with various gadgets, such as hearts, flowers, pigeons, balloons, lollypops in the colour red - symbolising love, and so on. The most significant thing, however, is sending valentines, i.e. special postcards with sentences printed on them, such as for example "Be my Valentine." It is now increasingly popular to send valentines to all the people we like, or who are close to us. Such messages are quite frequently left unsigned, leaving it to the recipient to figure out who the confession of love or expression of liking came from. Valentine's Day customs migrated across the ocean and came to Europe. One might say that this small, local feast was transformed overseas and, after its return, gained popularity in most of the countries of the old continent. It became a feast of love and joy.

Chełmno - the town of love
For Polish people, the town of Chełmno, known as the town of love, means as much as Terni for the Italians. The local Church of the Assumption houses a baroque side altar dedicated to St. Valentine, and one of his relics, famous for its miraculous properties. Apart from a ceremonial mass, on 14 February various occasional concerts, games and competitions take place, and in the evening a huge heart made up of lanterns is lit. Moreover, heart-shaped baked rolls with added lovage are a local specialty.

It's worth knowing that...
In the Polish language the word 'walentynka' (Valentine), meaning the feast, the special postcard, and also a beloved person, is spelled with no capital letter, in the same way as the words 'mikołajki' (St. Nicolas' Day) or 'andrzejki' (St. Andrew's Eve). That is because it belongs to the category of common nouns, constituting names of popular customs or celebrations.

New stamp and First Day Cover (FDC)
In order to commemorate St. Valentine's Day, Poczta Polska presents for the fifteenth time a special postage stamp which features the symbol of good fortune and luck - a four leaf clover. Its leaves are presented as hearts, one of which - the unique, pink one, is there just for you! The FDC, apart from the clover, also features a citation from George Sand (1804-1876), a French writer of the Romanticism period who was desperately in love with Chopin (1810-1849): "There is only one kind of true fortune in life - it is to love, and to be loved back." The FDC also features an occasional date stamp, in use in Chełmno 1 Post Office. On account of the issue, numerous Valentine's Day events take place in the town of Chełmno, and Poczta Polska actively participates in them through organising, among others, a philatelic exhibition featuring all the stamps in the "I love you" series, published since 1992.

Poland Bridges FDCs

Poland FDCs
Name: Bridges in Poland
Date of Issue: 29 August 2008

Bridges in Poland
A bridge is one of the earliest humans' ideas to overrule nature. The first bridges used to be as simple as spans of wooden logs fallen across a stream or precipice. Later they were made of ropes, beams and stones, and finally as sophisticated structures of iron, concrete and steel. Bridges are important elements of architecture; they are designed for transportation and strategic purposes.

New postage stamps and First Day Cover
The Polish Post presents a series of 4 stamps with famous Polish bridges constructed in the 19th, 20th and 21st century. The oldest one is a railway bridge in Toruń, and the other bridges are: Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw, a welded bridge near Łowicz and Siekierkowski Bridge - the newest one in Warsaw. The stamps were printed in sheets of 4 stamps of each type. Two First Day Covers depicting parts of bridge structures were also issued. An occasional date stamp was issued and is to be used in the Post Office Warsaw 1.

Denominations:
1.45 ZŁ: Siekierkowski Bridge in Warsaw
Built between 2000-2002, however planned already during the interwar period. It is one of the elements of the 8-km long Trasa Siekierkowska yet to be finished. This seventh bridge on the Vistula river is a cable-stayed bridge supported by two pylons, with no pillars in the river current. Its characteristic orange cables are to warn and protect birds against any crashing.

1.45 ZŁ: Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw
Built between 1904-1914 as a Warsaw's third bridge on the Vistula river, designed by engineers M. Marszewski and W. Paszkowski and supervised by S. Szyller - author of the Warsaw University of Technology (Politechnika Warszawska) buildings. Its characteristic features are neo-Polish renaissance towers and pavilion on the viaduct over Powiśle. Poniatowski bridge was seriously damaged in 1915 by the retreating Russian troops and rebuilt in 1921-1926. It was on this bridge when in 1926, during the May Coup d'Etat, Józef Piłsudski met Stanisław Wojciechowski. The bridge was for the second time destroyed by the German troops during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Poniatowski bridge was rebuilt after the war (in 1946), however in a poorer shape, without decorative balustrades and some benches.

3 ZŁ: Bridge in Maurzyce
The first welded bridge in the world was designed by engineer Stefan Bryła in 1928. It was built on the Słudwia river (left Bzura's tributary). Welding significantly decreased the bridge's weight; earlier steel elements used to be joined by rivets or bolts. The bridge's weight is 55 tons.

3 ZŁ: Ernest Malinowski bridge in Toruń
An iron truss bridge for railway built between 1870-1873 to connect railway lines and serve as fortifications in a lower part of the Vistula river. It covers the so - called Stara Wisła and Kępa Bazarowa. Its 20 meter high towers were decorated with figures that were removed in 1920 as they reminded of the town's Prussian history. The towers themselves were disassembled in the 50's of the 20th century. By 1934 it was the only bridge in Toruń for trains, cars and pedestrians. The bridge was destroyed two times in the II World War - by the Polish troops (in September 1939) and then by the German troops (in January 1945). After the war, the bridge was rebuilt. In 1999 it was named by Ernest Malinowski - famous engineer who constructed a railway line in the Andes.

Poland Olympic Games FDC

Poland FDC
Name: Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
Date of Issue: 08 August 2008

From 8 to 24 August this year the eyes of the world are turned to the city of Beijing. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee decided to appoint the Chinese capital as the site of the summer Olympic Games. The location has been the reason for much controversy. China is a fascinating country with an inspiring history and a rich culture, and also a global economic power. But it is also a state where the system of government and the observance of human and civil rights have long been contested by the international opinion.

Despite the controversies caused by the decision of the IOC, the Olympic Games is undoubtedly a true feast for sport lovers. The slogan of the Beijing Olympics is "One world - one dream". The Polish Olympic team comprises 263 athletes, and is the largest in the last 28 years! The Polish Post is one of the sponsors of the Polish Olympic Team at the Beijing Olympic Games 2008.

New postage stamps and First Day Covers

The stamps issued to commemorate the Olympic Games present 4 out of the 28 Olympic disciplines: swimming, volleyball, the pole vault and fencing - it is those particular sports that our representatives are most hopeful to win medals in. The stamps are placed together in a block on the background of a traditional Chinese wood carving and the word "Beijing" written in its original form.
The design of the First Day Cover includes the same illustration, added with a photograph of the new Beijing stadium called the "Bird's Nest".
An occasional date stamp will be used, as a matter of exception, in the 88 Warsaw Post Office (at 10 Melomanów Str.). Eight is considered a lucky number in China. It is no coincidence that the games start on 8 August 2008, at 8.08 pm local time. Number "8" was also specially emphasised in the design of the Polish Post stamps. We would like it to bring good luck to our athletes, too.

Philately

The Polish Post has been issuing postage stamps related to the Olympic Games since 1956. It was then that a series of 6 postage stamps, commemorating the 16th Olympic Games held in Melbourne, was issued. An additional stamp, depicting the record 6.35 metre long jump by Elżbieta Krzesińska and the gold medal awarded for that result, was issued immediately after the Melbourne games. During the next couple of months, the Olympic Centre of the Żoliborz district in Warsaw will house an exhibition of all the Olympic stamp issues.

Comment: Polish Post really did a good job. They know Chinese likes number "8", so you could find many "8" on this FDC. BTW, I received this FDC on 14th Aug. and Polish athletes won their first gold and silver medal on 15th Aug. Is that a coincidence? This FDC brought the good luck for them, lol

Estonia 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Gold Medalist Autographed FDC
Estonia 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Silver Medalists Autographed Postal Stationery

2008 Beijing Olympic Games FDCs:
Algeria, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Estonia Sheetlet, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Hong Kong M/S, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Portugal M/S, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Ukraine.

2008 Beijing Paralympic Games FDCs:
Czech Republic, Slovakia.

Poland EURO 2008 FDC

Poland FDC
Name: European Football Championship EURO 2008
Date of Issue: 30 May 2008

European Football Championship EURO 2008

Football - the most popular sport game in Europe - is simple, cheap, and above all brings about a lot of emotions for its players as well as for its fans. The European Football Championship take place every 4 years, just as the Olympic Games, and is organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), established in 1954. The first European Championship was organized in France in 1960 under the name of the European Nations Cup. Only the four best teams had taken part in it, and the winner was the USSR. The same rules were continued up to 1976, while in the years 1980-1992 the number of participants had been increased up to 8 teams, and since 1996 up to now there are 16 teams. In that number, beside the winners of final eliminations, there is a team of the host of actual championship. The final games are preceded by the qualifications in groups, starting as early as in the autumn two years before the date of championship. The championship popularity grows steadily with its every turn, since it used to bring about the most unexpected surprises, such as that of the 2004 games when the first place had been won by Greece. The matches of Euro 2008 are to be played in June 7-29 on the eight Austrian and Swiss stadiums.

The Polish contribution

This year Polish football fans may feel happy no matter what the final results of the Euro 2008 will be, as the national Polish football team has qualified to the final contest of the European Championship first time in its history. Moreover, in 2012 Poland will host (together with Ukraine) the games of the next European Championship, what guarantees participation of the Polish team again.
The main achievements of Polish football are: the 4th place at the 1936 Olympic Games, the golden medal at the Olympic Games in 1972, the silver olympic medals in the years 1976 and 1992, and the 3rd places at the World Cup in 1974 and 1982.

The new stamp and FDC envelope

On the occasion of the Euro 2008 Poczta Polska presents the stamp and FDC envelope adorned with an illustration, associating so well with an atmosphere of the crowded stadium stands, full of shouting fans with painted faces, what fits the official slogan of the white-and-reds at this championship: "... because only sport and good fun counts!". The issue is accompanied by an occasional postmark, being applied at the Warszawa 1 Post Office.

The philately

Poczta Polska had issued the stamps with football motives many times on the occasions of the World Cup and Olympic Games, and the particular Polish achievements, such as for example in 1974, when the special series of stamps with se tenant labels had been issued to commemorate successes of the coach Kazimierz Górski's team.

Comment: Polish National Team was knocked out yesterday, what a pity! it was their debut appearance in The European Football Championship. Anyway, they did good job. Because they will be the host of EURO 2012, I hope they will get better place in 2012.

Poland EUROSAI FDC

Poland FDC
Name: VII EUROSAI Congress in Krakow
Date of Issue: 30 May 2008

EUROSAI

The state audit and control institutions of all the world are united in the INTOSAI - International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions. One of its eight regional groups is the EUROSAI - European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions, uniting 48 such institutions. The EUROSAI congresses are held every 3 years, and the leadership of organization is usually taken over by the actual host. The next congress is to be held on June 2-5, 2008 in Krakow, Poland. The previous congresses have taken place in Madrid (1990 - the Establishing Congress), Stockholm (1993), Prague (1996), Paris (1999), Moscow (2002), and in Bonn (2005).

NIK

The Supreme Chamber of Control - is the most important state audit organization in Poland. Its main task is auditing the management of the public means. NIK reports annually on its activities to Sejm - the Lower Chamber of Polish Parliament.
NIK coordinates the activities of the EUROSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing. During the Krakow Congress an important ecology-friendly novelty will be introduced: all the materials will be available in the electronic form, and not as a printed matter as before.

The new stamp and FDC envelope

On the occasion of the VII EUROSAI Congress and taking over by NIK the leadership of organization Poczta Polska has issued a special stamp with the Congress logo. The magnifying glass on that stamp is a symbol of audit. On the FDC envelope there are graphically processed flags of the 6 countries which up to now have hosted the previous congresses and consequently have played one by one a role of the EUROSAI leaders.
The author of the Congress logo, printed on the stamp and on the FDC envelope as well, in which the stylized dragon's head stands for the letter S, is Joanna Sowula, a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, whose project has been chosen by the NIK representatives from among other prize winners. The stamp will be accompanied by the occasional postmark, applied at the Krakow 1 Post Office.

Comment: I think this FDC looks very harmonious. You could see 6 former host countries' flag-button on the Illustration of FDC, and the current host country, Poland's flag-button on the stamp which is enlarged. There are all same styles.

Poland EUROPA FDC

Poland FDC
Name: EUROPA 2008 - Letter
Date of Issue: 05 May 2008

Comment: The design of this stamp is very funny. Knife, fork and FDC. Do you want to eat it?

EUROPA Series FDCs:
2009 Astronomy:
Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia.

2008 Letter:
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Vatican.

Poland Meteorology FDC

Poland FDC
Name: The Meteorological Phenomena
Date of Issue: 25 April 2008

Since the earliest times people used to watch carefully the nature, trying to foretell by the clouds or animal's behavior, for example, the oncoming storm, rain or drought. Nowadays we just look at the TV weather forecast while planning an excursion or simply choosing the suitable dress for tomorrow and to be sure if we would need an umbrella. The weather influences our general frame of mind, but we have no influence on it, either. Not infrequently the nature shows us its tremendous power in the floods or hurricanes, for example. But there are also many meteorological phenomena that may pass unwatched for us, and sometimes it is simply worth to look at the sky to see something beautiful and unusual.

The meteorological phenomena as to their nature: hydrometeors (rain, hail, frost, tornado), lithometeors (dust or sand blizzards or whirls), photometeors (halo, rainbow, mirage), electrometeors (storm, lightning, aurora borealis)

Meteorology - a branch of science, investigating the atmospheric phenomena. Based on the results of measurements of the main parameters (such as the air temperature, humidity, and pressure together with the wind speed) and the data, provided by the radars, air probes and satellites the complex analysis (today mostly computer-aided) is executed of their complicated mutual influences. Its results, or synoptic prognoses, are indispensable for the different sectors of country's economy, as in agriculture, for example, in order to avoid the catastrophic crops losses, or simply in the flight control.

Designs:
1.35 ZŁ: Sand blizzard
The sand being carried up high above the ground level by the strong, hot wind. It can be very arduous for the inhabitants of the desert areas.

1.35 ZŁ: Lightnings
The atmospheric electric discharges, born in the high rainclouds (cumulonimbus) in the result of the great temperature gradient and the strong wind. The lightning in fact is an electric spark, zeroing the charge difference between the cloud and the earth or between two individual clouds.

2.40 ZŁ: Rainbow
An arch of the diffracted sunlight. It emerges in the result of refraction, diffraction and the total internal reflection of solar rays in the small raindrops in the atmosphere. It is visible only if the Sun shines from behind of the observer and is sufficiently low (less than 40 degrees) above the horizon.

2.40 ZŁ: Tornado
A great funnel shaped whirl of air and liquefied water vapor, reaching up to the clouds. It rotates with enormous speed (400 km/h, for example, and creates giant difference of pressure inside. If it touches the earth, it destroys everything on its way, leaving behind a few hundreds meter wide trace of ruins on a distance of some 10-20 km.

The new stamps and the FDC envelope
The presented here four-stamp series shows the beauty of meteorological phenomena as fixed on the photographs. The graphic layout suggests that the slides have been shown in such a way to enhance their contrast and colors. Each stamp presents one phenomenon representative for each of the above mentioned groups hydrometeors, lithometeors, photometeors and electrometeors. On the FDC envelope the similar slides can be seen as lying on the back-light table. Their evaluation and choice of the best ones is suggested by the magnifying glass nearby.

Comment: This set was issued on 25 April, the stamps on this FDC were cancelled by "25.04.2008" special cancellations. But my friend sent this FDC on 13th May, 18 days after issue day, and he only added 1.30 ZŁ definitive stamps on this FDC. That's meaning the cancelled stamps' postage is still valid after 18 days, and I think it could be longer than 18 days, do you know how long about it?

Poland Aviation FDC

Poland FDC
Name: Traditional and Contemporary Polish Aviation
Date of Issue: 31 March 2008

Design:
3 ZŁ: TS-11 Iskra (Spark)
The PZL TS-11 Iskra (Polish for Spark) is a Polish jet trainer aircraft, used by the air forces of Poland and India. It is notable as the main trainer plane of the Polish Army, the oldest jet plane still in service in Poland - and one of the most reliable. More...

3,55 ZŁ: F-16 Jastrząb (Hawk)
The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as a lightweight fighter, it evolved into a successful multirole aircraft. The Falcon's versatility is a paramount reason it was a success on the export market, serving 24 countries. The F-16 is the largest Western fighter program with over 4,000 aircraft built since production started in 1976. Though no longer produced for the US Air Force, it is still produced for export. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.

The Fighting Falcon is a dogfighter with innovations including a frameless, bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while under high g-forces, and reclined seat to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot. It was also the first fighter aircraft to be deliberately built to sustain 9-g turns. It has a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one, providing enough power to climb and accelerate vertically - if necessary. Although the F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", it is known to its pilots as the "Viper", after the Battlestar Galactica starfighter.

On 9 November, 2006, it was unveiled that the Polish F-16s will be named Jastrząb (Hawk). Limited operational readiness will be achieved in 2008 and last F16 should be delivered by 2008. More...

Comment: I remember the registered postage from Poland to China is 8.80 ZŁ, but it has only 7.90 ZŁ on this FDC, I'm dizzy.

2007 India Airplanes FDC
2008 Poland Airplanes FDC
2008 Turkey Airplanes FDC

Poland Easter FDC

Poland FDC
Name: Easter
Date of Issue: 29 February 2008

Easter greetings

The most important in the Catholic Church holiday, the day of Jesus Christ's resurrection, in calendar coincides with the beginning of spring, and therefore its symbolism, although Christian, includes the traditional springtime elements as well. In order to enrich the holiday correspondence Poczta Polska since 1997 issues each year the special Easter stamps. The stamps feature usually religious scenes, folk customs and different symbols of the life reborn, such as painted eggs, chickens and the flowers and green plants. This year's your holiday greetings, mailed on the postcards or in letters, will be completed with colourful and optimistic stamps, being a perfect illustration of the universal joy, brought about by the celebration of Easter time.

The new stamps and FDC envelopes

Poczta Polska presents the Easter duo of stamps in the spring and holiday tones. On both of them there is shown a composition of painted eggs and paper cut-outs; similar cut-out in two colours, decorates the FDC envelope. For this issue the occasional postmark has been prepared with the motifs of chicken and baby rabbit, to be applied at the Warszawa 1 Post Office.

The contemporary Easter eggs

Such eggs as shown on the stamps do not necessarily copy the traditional patterns. Nowadays they are rather unique creations of the individual artists, depending on their own invention. Among them one may find all conceivable painting techniques, applied to the ostrich or geese eggs. There are also carved shells of blown eggs or the eggs "dressed" in laces or knitted wool.

The folk cut-outs

The paper decorations made by cutting out the holes precisely in the piece of paper, folded many times, what results in highly symmetrical patterns. This kind of holiday decorations is popular in Poland mainly in Masovia (region of Kurpie and vicinities of Łowicz and Opoczno) since the end of the 19th century, as earlier the paper was not available universally. The cut-outs, originally white and only later in different colours, used to be affixed to the peasants houses' walls before all the major holidays. Their motifs range from the abstract geometrical forms to the plant or animal representations. Their precision attains sometimes amazing level considering that they were made frequently with the sheep shearing scissors.

2008 Poland Easter FDC
2008 Slovakia Easter FDC

Poland PostEurop FDC

Poland FDC
Name: PostEurop Kraków 2008
Issue date: 2008 January 15th

PostEurop is the association of European public postal operators, one of the constituent unions of the Universal Postal Union. PostEurop was created in 1993 to simplify the exchange of mails in Europe, a task previously undertaken by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT, from its French acronym). A smaller but similar organization is the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation.

Each year PostEurop holds its Plenary Assembly in one of the countries where its Members operate.

PostEurop's 2008 Plenary Assembly was held in the Wisła Ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel, Kraków, Poland, on 16-17 January 2008.

Official Website of PostEurop
Official Website of PostEurop Kraków 2008

According to PostEurop Plenary Assembly 2008's Practical Information brochure. This Plenary Assembly was held in Sheraton Hotel, Kraków (address: Ul. Powiśle 7).
This FDC was sent from Kraków-78 Post Office(Urząd Pocztowy Kraków 78), which is the nearest post office (address: ul. Retoryka 16) from Sheraton Hotel.

Poland Joseph Conrad FDC

Poland FDC
Name: 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Joseph Conrad
Issue date: 2007 December 3rd

Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-born English novelist. He is regarded as one of the greatest English novelists, which is even more notable because he did not learn to speak English well until he was in his 20s (albeit always with a Polish accent).

Conrad is recognized as a master prose stylist. Some of his works have a strain of romanticism, but more importantly he is recognized as an important forerunner of modernist literature. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced many writers, including Ernest Hemingway, D. H. Lawrence, Graham Greene, William S. Burroughs, Joseph Heller, John Maxwell Coetzee as well as Jerzy Kosiński and inspired such films as Apocalypse Now (drawn from Conrad's Heart of Darkness).

Writing during the apogee of the British Empire, Conrad drew upon his experiences in first the French and later the British Merchant Navy to create novels and short stories that reflected aspects of a world-wide empire while also plumbing the depths of the human soul. More...

Poland Papal Foundation FDC

Poland FDC
Name: Quarter of Century of Pope John Paul II Foundation
Issue date: 2007 October 30th

John Paul II Foundation was established by a Papal Decree of October 16, 1981 as a religious, educational, charitable and non-profit organization. Its official seat is located at the Vatican. The Foundation owns a building in Rome at 1200 via Cassia where the secretarial offices are located. The main goals of the Foundation are:

• preservation and development of the Christian heritage and culture;

• collection and preservation of documents and propagation of the teachings of Pope John Paul II;

• assistance to Christian pilgrims on visits to the Holy See, particularly pilgrims from Poland and Eastern countries;

• providing educational assistance and scholarships to young intellectuals from Eastern countries to study at the Catholic University in Lublin, Poland.