The Polish Post Office has released a stamp from the "Polish Cities" series – Bydgoszcz

Bydgoszcz is the next stamp in the "Polish Cities" philatelic series. The 95 groszy stamp entered circulation on November 30.

Poland regained independence on November 11, 1918, but Bydgoszcz only returned to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth under the Treaty of Versailles on January 20, 1920. A recently issued Polish Post stamp in a series presenting Polish cities features a monument to King Casimir the Great, who granted Bydgoszcz city rights in 1346, and the Polish Post Office building, one of the city's architectural landmarks. The 19th-century neo-Gothic complex of buildings is shown from the Brda River.

Under the Peace of Kalisz in 1343, Casimir the Great regained Kujawy, including Bydgoszcz, which the king had specific plans for and which was to become the main stronghold of northern Kujawy in the future. On April 19, 1346, the Polish ruler granted Bydgoszcz city rights, which entailed a number of privileges, including the right to engage in navigable trade and the right to mint coins.

Today, Bydgoszcz is a significant industrial center (including the Bydgoszcz Technology and Industrial Park) and cultural center (including the Pomeranian Philharmonic, Opera Nova, and the Polish Theatre). The city also thrives on sports (volleyball, track and field, football, speedway, basketball, and rowing), thanks to its modern infrastructure (including the Łuczniczka Sports and Entertainment Hall, Zawisza Stadium, a marina, and a regatta course). Bydgoszcz is also an academic city, home to two universities: the Academy of Music and the Nicolaus Copernicus University Medical College, as well as several large private universities, with a combined enrollment of approximately 40,000.

In addition to the stamp, Poczta Polska issued an FDC (first day of circulation) envelope, which features a panorama of Bydgoszcz.

So far, as part of its "Polish Cities" circulation series, Poczta Polska has presented Gniezno, Kraków, Warsaw, Kalisz, Płock, Toruń, Pułtusk (on an envelope with a printed postage mark), Kazimierz Dolny, Sandomierz, Gdańsk, Łódź (with a Priority tag), Poznań, Przemyśl, Szczecin, Sopot, Sieradz, Katowice, Częstochowa, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Chorzów, Racibórz, Jelenia Góra, Nowy Sącz, Żywiec, Białystok, and Leszno. The series was initiated by graphic artist Andrzej Gosik, using watercolor techniques. Maria Dziekańska designed the stamps depicting Szczecin, Sopot, Sieradz, Katowice, and Częstochowa, Jerzy Pietras designed Gorzów Wielkopolski, and Monika Żyła-Kwiatkowska designed Chorzów.

About the stamp:

stamp designer: Waldemar Kawiński
number of stamps: 1
value: 95 gr
circulation: 1,000,000 pcs
printing technique: rotogravure
stamp format: 31.25 x 25.5 mm
sales sheet: 100 stamps
paper: fluorescent
date of introduction into circulation: November 30, 2020

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