XVII^th WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS SOCCER

No wonder that for this year XVIIth World Championship are waiting almost everybody.

These championships will carry on the sport fields of Japan and Youth Korea. The opening ceremony will take place on the 31of May in Seoul and closing ceremony on the 30th June in Yokohama.

It will be in every respect an extreme competition. First in Asia, first organised by two countries distant from each other by 1000 km., first to be played in up to 20 towns.

Polish team in soccer after a long absence qualified for this year finals. Lets hope it will start a good run for the Polish soccer players.

On the day of introduction of the stamp in circulation will be issued for sale an FDC, cancelled special issue in use of the Post Office Warszawa 1.

Children games and amusements

The presented issue is in a way a continuation of an interesting idea from 1999 when we had presented on the stamps youth sports. This time we address ourselves to the youngest customers and at the same time to our own childhood memories.

The world is changing all around - in common use are computers, are making appearance technique toys. However there are still amusements which know our grandparents, we know them and which make fun to our children. Is winning our favour again the old push bicycle, which in its new shape score real success on the squares and housing estates. Still is popular to play badmington and to fly kites.

On the day of introduction of the stamps in circulation will be issued for sale an FDC, cancelled special issue in use of the Post Office Warszawa 1.

160^th birthday of Maria Konopnicka

Maria Konopnicka born Wasiłowska, poet, novelist, author works for children, translator, was born on the 23^rd of May 1842. She made her debut as a poet in the press in 1870 with the poem "Winter Morning", which she published under the pen-name Maria of W.K. in the press title "Kaliszanin". In 1880 she wrote her first book "From the past. Dramatic episodes", dedicated to positivist ideals. This book, which protagonists have been the great martyrs of the science /Hypatia, Vesalius, Galileo/ persecuted by the authorities of the Church, draw on her head attacks of the conservative critic.

Starting from 1890 abode in some countries of Western Europe co-operating with Polish press. She was a co-organiser of the international protest against the persecution of Polish children in a Polish town Wrze¶nia /1901-1902/.

In 1902 on the occasion of her 25^th anniversary of literature work she received from the society as a gift a manor..

Konopnicka has gained a huge popularity and authority thanks to her patriot and social lyric in which she has been describing with bitter irony the flagrant symptoms of poverty and human harm.

Maria Konopnicka died the 8^th October 1910 in Lvov.

On the day of introduction of the stamp in circulation will be issued for sale an FDC, cancelled special issue in use of the Post Office Warszawa 1.

The 140^th Anniversary of The Foundation of the National Gallery in Warsaw

The Museum of Fine Arts, which was the direct predecessor of the National Gallery has been founded in 1862.Only a couple of months after its foundation, in August 1862, have been purchased 36 paintings of old masters. Have joined then the collection such masterpieces as Pintoricchio's "Madonna with the Child" and Jordaen's "The Saint Family" which are nowadays its pride.

In 1916 The Museum of Fine Arts has been renamed as The National Gallery. The increasing every year quantity of exhibits had an effect on the decision to construct a new building. The most famous Polish architects entered the announced competitions on this matter. In 1926 has been selected the classicist-modernist project by Tadeusz Tołwiński which realisation lasted up to 1938.

During the Second World War a part of the collection has been irrevocably destroyed. After the occupation of Warszawa by the Nazis the name of the gallery has been changed to "Museum der Stadt Warschau. Though it was closed to the public it was carrying on its activity. A clandestine centre has been created which task was to document the devastation and the removal of the masterpieces by the Germans. This documentation became a base to the post-war vindication action.

The museum carry on studies in all fields of arts linked with its collections and co-operate with different academies. A world fame gains the science activity of the Antique Arts Gallery, initiated under the direction of Prof. Kazimierz Michałowski. The excavations has been carried on in Crimea, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, and Cyprus. A true revelation was the discovery by the Polish mission in Faras, North Sudan, a cathedral with Nubian mural paintings.. Half of them has been given as a present to the Gallery which permitted to create in 1972 the unique in the World Gallery of Arts from Faras.

On the day of introduction of the stamp in circulation will be issued for sale an FDC, cancelled special issue in use of the Post Office Warszawa 1.

Europe - Circus

On the presented stamp is being shown a reproduction of the poster "Circus" with Mona Lisa, authorship Maciej Zdzieblan - Urbaniec.

On the day of introduction of the stamp in circulation will be delivered for sale an FDC, cancelled special issue in use of the Post Office Warszawa 1.

10^th anniversary of the State Fire Brigade

The Polish fire-fighting has a very long history. First fire-protection regulations have been issued in Cracow in 1347. They have been issued in the form of resolutions of the town councils, which resolutions were called "fire order"

During the centuries the professional and volunteer fire squads were fighting successfully not only with fire but were active in other fields of the life of Polish society especially during independent movements.

The State Fire Brigade as a formation has been created on the 1^st of July 1992 and carry on the many centuries tradition. It is equipped with a professional outfit for fire fighting, natural calamities and other minor threats brought by the contemporary civilization.

On the day of introduction of the stamp in circulation will be issued for sale an FDC, cancelled special issue in use of the Post Office Warszawa 1.

Radio Free Europe

The radio "Free Europe" in the years of the cold war was the unique source of reliable information. It was created in 1952 in Munich. The station broadcast programmes in many languages: Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian.

It played an important part in the countries of the Soviet block, were the information have been strongly censored. It was supporting and forming the resistance against the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Though the broadcast was up to 1988 strongly jammed the programmes had numerous listeners.

The last programme of the Polish radio station "Free Europe" has been broadcast in Munich in 1994.

On the day of introduction of the stamp in circulation will be issued for sale an FDC, cancelled special issue in use of the Post Office Warszawa 1.

NATIONAL GENERAL CENSUS

On the day of introduction of the stamp in circulation there will be delivered for sale an FDC, cancelled special issue in use of the Post Office Warszawa 1.

Four seasons in the painting - creation of disabled artists

Polish Post put into circulation four stamps on which are being presented the works of the artists:

• face value 1.10 PLN - Henryk Paraszczuk
• face value 1.10 PLN - Amanda Żejmis
• face value 2.00 PLN - Lucjan Matuła
• face value 3.20 PLN - Józef Łaciak

On the day of introduction of the stamps in circulation there will be delivered for sale an FDC, cancelled special issue in use of the Post Office Warszawa 1.