The Polish Post Office will celebrate the birthday of its founder

On Saturday, August 1st, the Polish Post Office will introduce a postage stamp from the issue "500th Anniversary of the Birth of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, Sigismund II Augustus." The stamp, dedicated to the last of the Jagiellonian dynasty and founder of the Polish postal service, is a joint publication of Poland and Lithuania.

The stamp, designed by Bożydar Grozdew, depicts a fragment of Jan Matejko's 1867 painting "Sigismund and Barbara" from the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw. The background of the number 500 – part of the issue's name – features a tapestry, a chair cover with the monogram of Sigismund Augustus (circa 1555), from the collection of the Wawel Royal Castle.

Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, was the only male descendant of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza. At his initiative, the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were united into a single state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, under the Union of Lublin. Royal patronage and substantial artistic endowments are testament to the golden age of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The main reasons for establishing the new institution were the desire to gain independence from the imperial post and the Fugger family's Augsburg trading post, and to create a permanent information corridor for diplomatic and trade contacts with other European countries. The ruler justified his decision as follows: " With our own and our subjects' convenience in mind, we and they should be able to send letters to Italy and conduct other business there .

About the stamp:

stamp designer: Bożydar Grozdew
number of stamps: 1
value: PLN 3.30
circulation: 175,000 pcs
printing technique: rotogravure
stamp format: 54 x 40.50 mm
paper: fluorescent
sales sheet: 35 stamps
date of introduction into circulation: August 1, 2020

This and other philatelic publications can be purchased at post offices and online store:  www.filatelistyka.poczta-polska.pl .