POLONICA

Following the initiated in 1999 the issue cycle "Polonica" Polish Post will introduce into circulation the next four post stamps. In this year issue we will present you "philatelic polonica", that is post stamps issued by post administrations of other countries on which are presented personages, architecture, and sacral buildings connected with Polish culture. The philatelists will be maybe interested by the fact that among the creators of the stamps there are also Polish names.

On the stamp, face value 1. 20 PLN, issued by Swedish Post in year 2000 is presented a beautiful portrait of Wislawa Szymborska, Nobel prize-winner in 1996. The author of the engraving of the stamp is Czeslav Slania, outstanding Polish engraver, co-operating since many years with Swedish Post.

On the stamp, face value 1. 80 PLN, issued by French Post in 1967 is presented the portrait of the great scientist Maria Sklodowska - Curie, Nobel prize-winner in years 1903 and 1911. The engraver of the stamp is Jean Pheulpin.

The stamp, face value 2. 10 PLN was issued by Swedish Post in 1986. It shows Czeslaw Milosz taking the Nobel prize from the hands of the king Charles XVI Gustav. The author of the engraving is also Czeslaw Slania.

The stamp, face value 2. 60 PLN was issued by Vatican Post in 1966. It presents the effigy of the Holy Mary of Czestochowa, the basilica of Assumption of the Holy Virgin of Jasna Gora in Czestochowa and the column of the king Zygmunt III Waza on the background of the cathedral of St. John in Warsaw. The designer of the stamp is Mrs. Kazimiera Dabrowska.

On the day of introducing of the stamps into circulation will be available in sale FDC, with special cancellation in use at the Post Office Warszawa 1.

CHRISTMAS

Christmas, one of the most important Christian holiday has been set up in the church in the IV century. The date of this holiday is connected with the moment of the winter solstice. Only two centuries later has been introduce into the liturgy the ceremony of Christmas Eve as before-feast of Christmas with the obligatory fasting, praying, and expecting the holiday.

Christmas occupies in Polish tradition a special place. With the celebration of the 3 days are connected many customs. According to old proverbs - How the Christmas Eve is, so will be the whole year. For this reason this day people try to spent in peace and harmony. The preparation to the feast end with laying the table for Christmas Eve dinner which start when the first star appears on the sky. At the table must be a cover for the unexpected guest because on this evening the doors of the houses are open even to unknown people. Before the dinner there is the ceremony of sharing out of the wafer - a tradition typical almost only for Polish Christmas tradition - it means reconciliation, love friendship and peace.

Christmas if full of symbols. First of all the Christmas tree that came to Poland from Germany in the first half of XIX century. The ever green tree is a sign of the forces hidden in the nature. Then the hay put under the Christmas table-cloth reminds that it is on the hay that has been laid down the new born Jesus Christ. In many Polish houses there are branches of mistletoe under which it is allowed to kiss.

Among the Christmas customs there are matrimonial fortune-telling for unmarried young girls. They should stay on the door-sill and call "Hello, Hello where is my boy-fellow?" and the echo will tell from which side he comes.

Christmas is also the time that we want to express our feelings of love and friendship to family and friends thus the use of sending postcards and letters with good wishes. Having this in mind Polish Post has, as every year, prepared special Christmas post stamps on which are presented:

• - face value 1. 20 PLN - Bethlehem Stable
• - face value 1. 80 PLN - The Three Kings and Bethlehem Star
• - face value 2. 10 PLN - Annunciation of Holy Lady
• - face value 2. 60 PLN - The Escape of the Holy Family to Egypt

On the day of introducing of the stamps into circulation will be available in sale two types of FDC, with special cancellation in use in the Post Office Warszawa 1.

INTERNET PANORAMA OF POLAND

The initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs multi branches internet service The Panorama of Poland is aimed to create o positive image of Poland, filling the information gap existing among people all over the world seeking information about our country. The site as one of the few of this type in the world has five language versions: Polish, English, Spanish, French and German. Beside information on geography, history, economy, political and cultural life in Poland the internauts can find many curiosities on our habits, favorite dishes and social life.

For people seeking interesting pictures a support has been prepared, Pictures from Poland from which it is possible to take photos of professional quality making possible the use of them by journalists for publication purposes. The presented on the stamp and following it FDC, pictures are coming also from this support.

Presenting the white stork on the post stamp we wanted not only to express the common sympathy to these birds, but also to remind the often forgot truth that we are a "bird power in Europe". In Poland live the biggest quantity of storks in Europe - 40 thousand couples. There are even localities in which there is more storks then inhabitants e.g. in the village Zywkowo in the north of Poland, region Warmia where there is hardly 36 inhabitants swith 40 nests and 180 storks.

The relatively clean environment - it is still possible to find lands almost not transformed by humans makes that what is by us common can be over our western boarder rare and even becoming extincted.

On the day of introduction of the stamp into circulation will be available in sale an FDC with special cancellation in use at the Post Office Warszawa 1.

BIRDS

Osprey - cousin of the eagle - is one of the most splendid carnivores birds that is possible to see in Poland. His weight can be even one and a half kilo. It has a slim silhouette and long wings that he does not spread quite horizontally when flying, like other eagles, but keep them slightly tucked up.. From the upper side completely dark, the bottom side and the head is white. There is a dark color strip running by his eye.

They are hunting on fishes as we can see from the name. It does it however in a different way then most of other birds feeding themselves with fishes. It catches the fishes with his legs. The hunting is very spectacular. He glides and when he sees a potential prey he falls down and attacks with his claws, diving.

Osprey is a species under protection in Poland. There is now only about 30 couples of ospreys in Poland, mainly in north of the country. In Upper Silesia it is possible to see them during their transit flights especially in September and October. At this time there are transiting birds from Scandinavia. A complete protection of its nestling places and interdiction of killing all carnivores birds during their transits allowed to protect the population of the osprey and now the declining of their number has been stopped.

The introduced just now into circulation post stamp is the second one after the issue from 1985.

/"Wild animals under protection - the wolf"/, a set issue by Polish Post in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Polish Post got the license to use the picture of Panda and the trade mark of WWF, which are on our stamps /"8 1986 WWF", authorization granted by WWF, the owner of the registered trade mark/.

The World Wide Fund for Nature has been founded in 1961 as an international organization which task was to hold up and then to revert the processes of degradation of the natural environment of our planet. Besides the efforts in preservation of the nature WWF works on awaking the social consciousness of private, social and political people.

On the day of introduction of the stamps into circulation will be available in sale two kinds of FDC with special cancellation in use at the Post Office Warszawa 1.

50 - YEARS OF THE FOLK ENSEMBLE "SLASK""

The presented post stamps are a greeting of Polish Post to the folk ensemble "Slask" which commemorate the 50th anniversary of its activity. We hope that the prepared by us philatelic values will be attractive also to the numerous sympathizers of the ensemble.

The creator and long years artistic director of "Slask" was professor Stanislaw Hadyna - the son of a music teacher and lover of folk music from the region of Slask. The ensemble "Slask" which came into existence on the 1 of July 1953 was the realization of his great dream - Has the region of Mazowsze his folk ensemble "Mazowsze" should Slask has his ensemble "Slask". This land of coal mines, smelting works, fields and mountains should have its artistic expression.

The compositions of Stanislaw Hadyna and his musical elaborations of folk themes performed by "Slask" became one of the most universally known in the world phenomenon of Polish national culture. From among 250 of his songs many gained the position of so called home songs deeply in the consciousness of each Pole

The first performance of the folk ensemble "Slask: took place in October 1954 in the Slask Theater in Katowice. Since then The Sun Republic, as was named by western press "Slask", gave performances in forty four countries on five continents gaining many prestige prices.

On the prepared by the Polish Post stamps the ensemble "Slask" is presented in regional costumes. The FDC going with the stamps presents the park and palace complex in Koszencin by Lublinc, where is the seat of "Slask". On the day of introduction of the stamps into circulation in the post office of Koszecin will be in use a special cancellation with the graphic sign of the Ensemble.

100 ANNIVERSARY OF MOTORBIKES RACES IN POLAND

According to madcaps of motorbike sport the first motorbikes races had to take place in the day when for the first time two motorbike drivers, following a natural spirit of competition, wanted to compare their and their machines skill.

The history of motor sport in Poland has started in the year 1903 and the first official motor competition took place the 4th of June the same year. It was a motor racecourse , on 27 km on the Dynasy racecourse on the occasion of the I Big Sport Exhibition in Warsaw. The race enjoyed great success, what gave inspiration to the organizers to further actions. Already on the 2nd of August same year a first road motor race has been organized. The route had 102, 5 km on land roads near Warsaw.

The just issued set of stamps, commemorating the beginning of motor sports in Poland presents three essential stages for Polish motorbikes history. On the first stamp we can see the pioneer year 1903 and a typical motorbike of these years. The next stamp shows the turn of the twentieth and thirtieth years of the XX c., we can see on it an English motorbike Rudge. The third stamp presents a typical race motorbike NSU from the end of the thirtieth years of the XX c.

During the first 60 years of motor sport in Poland the machines were of abroad production, mainly English and German. Motorbikes of Polish production, produced in singular units did not play any important role in the history of the branch of motor races.

On the day of introduction of the stamps into circulation will be available in sale an FDC with special cancellation in use in the Post Office Warszawa 1. The picture on the cover presents the very popular in Poland in the years fiftieth of XX c. motor races called sidecars motor races.

ST. MARY SANCTUARIES

Following the cycle "St. Mary Sanctuaries" Polish Post introduces into circulation successive three post stamps, representing effigy of the Holy Virgin, that has been crowned by the Holy Father John Paul II. On the post stamps of different face values have been put the following Holy Mary notions:

• - Face value 1. 20 PLN - Mother of the Redeemer. The painting is located in the side chapel of the church of the Holy Redeemer in Warsaw. The work which is a copy of the effigy of the Holy Virgin of Czestochowa has been painted in 1909 by the artist Franciszek Jedrzejczak. The Mother of the Redeemer was a consolation for many people during the years of the II World War.
• - Face value 1. 80 PLN - Holy Mother Benevolent. The painting is in the Basilica of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin in the town of Krzeszowice, one of the most precious Baroque architecture in Europe. Steps have been already undertaken to include the monastery entity of Krzeszowice into the cultural world heritage of UNESCO. Neither the creator of the painting nor the exact date of its creation are known. It is accepted that the painting is from the XIII c. The artistic form of the work reminds the Madonnas from Bizantine churches. The legend says that the painting has been brought from Bizantium to Rimini where from an Italian knight and then the angels have transported it to Krzeszow.
• - Face value 2. 10 PLN - Holy Mother from Zieleniec. The painting comes from the Holy Virgin Church in the town of Zieleniec.

On the day of introduction of the stamp into circulation will be available in sale an FDC with a special cancellation used in the Post Office Warszawa 1, Krzeszów Kamiennogórski and Radziemice.

WORLD DAY OF THE POST

Already as a tradition on the 9th of October Polish Post introduces into circulation a post stamp commemorating the World Day of the Post. This year issue recalls to one of the basic symbols of the post all over the world, which is the post trumpet. From the beginning of the activities of the post the metal trumpet was a permanent element of the equipment of the postillions who had to master the art of playing postal trumpet calls. The colourful world of post stage-couches and with it the post trumpet, owing to new communication means and especially the railway went to the lumber room. The last post coach left on the 1 of October 1906 from Ostrow Wielkopolski to Odolanow.

The trumpet still stays on the sign boards of the post offices, post boxes, caps and buttons of the uniforms of the postmen and also on the post vehicles, forms, cancellations and post stamps.

The philatelic values with the sign of the post trumpet can become an interesting subject of collectors passion. A beautiful subject exhibit named "The trumpet - a symbol of the post on post stamps" has been built by Madame Regina Zalewska from the Regional Post Office in Torun. The exhibit presents post signs: post dies for cancellation, fee, additional and official payments stamps; postal stationary, printed forms and post stickers on which is presented the symbol of the post of European countries. The oldest post value is a Polish letter sent in 1790 from Grodno to Bialopole with its route marked on it. The exhibit has an enormous educational qualities because it gives evidence to the development of postal services in various countries.

Hoping that the just introduced post stamp will be the newest philatelic value in this collection we would like to incite our clients to create their own collections.

On the day of introduction of the stamp into circulation will be available in sale an FDC with a special cancellation used in the Post Office Warszawa 1.