The Polish Post commemorates the liberation of the German KL Auschwitz concentration camp

On January 27, a philatelic issue commemorating the victims of the German Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp will go into circulation. The " 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of the German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp Auschwitz " will be issued in a multi-million edition.

The latest issue from Poczta Polska commemorates the victims of one of the greatest crimes in human history. The Auschwitz concentration camp was the site of mass murder by German Nazis. It is estimated that over a million people of various nationalities perished as a result of their actions.

Designer Roch Stefaniak created a stamp featuring a graphic depicting the symbol of the Auschwitz concentration camp – an open camp gate, with the date 27/Jan/1945 and the inscription: German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp Auschwitz. In addition to the stamp, Poczta Polska issued a First Day Delivery (FDC) envelope featuring a photograph showing a bird's-eye view of the gate of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Auschwitz concentration camp was established by the Germans in mid-1940 on the outskirts of Oświęcim, a town incorporated into the Third Reich. Initially, it housed mainly Poles, but from 1942, the camp became the site of the mass extermination of Jews – imprisoned and murdered primarily in the Auschwitz-Birkenau branch, expanded for this purpose. It was here that approximately 90 percent of the victims of the entire Auschwitz complex perished.

In January 1945, with the Red Army on the offensive, the Germans evacuated hastily, failing to destroy the camp in time. Only the barracks, crematorium, barbed wire fences, and the gate remained. Auschwitz became a global symbol of terror, genocide, and the Shoah. The camp was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name "Auschwitz-Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940–1945)."

This issue is the latest of its kind from Poczta Polska. In January 2018, the company introduced the commemorative stamp "Never Again! Never Again!", dedicated to the victims of German Nazi concentration camps located on Polish soil.

About the stamp:

Author of the stamp design: Roch Stefaniak
Number of stamps: 1
Value: PLN 3.30
Circulation: multi-million, repeatable
Printing technique: rotogravure
Stamp format: 31.25 x 25.5 mm
Paper: fluorescent
Sales sheet: 100 stamps

Philatelic publications of Poczta Polska can be purchased at post offices and online store: www.filatelistyka.poczta-polska.pl .