The Polish Post Office does not forget about the "Unbroken Soldiers." Another hero commemorated with a postage stamp.

Updated on: March 2, 2023

The postage stamp, designed by Jarosław Ochendzan, features a graphically modified black-and-white photograph of Archbishop Antoni Baraniak. Along with the philatelic value, a first-day-of-circulation (FDC) envelope was also released, depicting the wall of a prison cell on Rakowiecka Street in Warsaw and Archbishop Antoni Baraniak's coat. The photographs used in the design come from an exhibition at the Museum of Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People's Republic, titled "Baraniak. 145 Interrogations at Rakowiecka Street." The issue dedicated to "The Unbroken" is also accompanied by a date stamp featuring a facsimile of Archbishop Antoni Baraniak.

The ceremony was attended by, among others, Ewa Kozanecka, Member of the Polish Parliament, Mikołaj Bogdanowicz, Professor Mirosław Golon, Deputy Director of the Institute of National Remembrance Branch, Voivode of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Radosław Kempiński, Second Deputy Voivode of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Father Piotr Zdanowicz, Parish Priest of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Tura, and representatives of the Polish Post, President Krzysztof Falkowski and Vice President Wiesław Włodek.

Antoni Baraniak was born on January 1, 1904, in Sebastianów. He served as secretary to Primate Cardinal August Hlond and director of the Primate's Secretariat, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. He was arrested on September 26, 1953, along with the "Primate of the Millennium," and subsequently imprisoned in the largest prison for political prisoners on Rakowiecka Street in Warsaw. He was accused, among other things, of contacts with the Freedom and Independence Association. He was imprisoned, brutally interrogated, and tortured. He did not yield to psychological and physical pressure. After his release in October 1956, Bishop Antoni Baraniak remained head of the Primate's Secretariat until the end of May 1957, when he was appointed Archbishop of Poznań by Pope Pius XII. He died after a long illness on August 13, 1977. Thanks to his courageous attitude, he is today called the Steadfast Soldier of the Church.

On June 19, 2017, the prosecutor of the Branch Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes Against the Polish Nation operating within the Institute of National Remembrance in Warsaw reopened the investigation into the persecution of Archbishop Baraniak, which had been discontinued in 2011.

This year's issue is a continuation of the series of stamps initiated in 2016, which commemorates the silhouettes of soldiers of the anti-communist independence underground. The first issue from the "National Remembrance Day of the Cursed Soldiers" series was dedicated to Major Zygmunt Szendzielarz, codename "Łupaszka." In 2019, the company introduced a stamp commemorating Major Marian Bernaciak, codename "Orlik." In 2021, the issue featured the figure of Colonel Łukasz Ciepliński, codename "Pług," and in 2022, the issue was dedicated to Józef Franczak, codename "Laluś." The theme is also complemented by stamps from the "Cursed Soldiers' Gorgets" series from 2017, with the gorgets of Lieutenant Franciszek Majewski, codename "Słony," Senior Sergeant Mieczysław Dziemieszkiewicz, codename Rój", from 2018 with the gorgets of Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki, codename "Witold", and Danuta Siedzikówna, codename "Inka", and from 2020 with the gorgets of Prince Captain Władysław Gurgacz, codename "Sem", and Lieutenant Henryk Jastrzębski, codename "Zbych". In addition to both series, a stamp with Franciszek Selmanowicz, codename "Zagonczyk", was issued in 2017.

About the stamp:

Project author: Jarosław Ochendzan

Number of stamps: 1

Value: PLN 3.90

Circulation: 120,000 pcs.

Printing technique: rotogravure

Stamp size: 31.25 x 51 mm

Paper: fluorescent

Sales sheet: 12 stamps (4×3)

Date of entry into circulation: March 1, 2023