Big anniversaries on small stamps
What do the Legislative Sejm, the Supreme Audit Office, the state archives, the Polish Red Cross, the Military Ordinariate, and the Prison Service have in common? All these institutions are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, Poczta Polska has issued commemorative stamps.
Legislative Parliament
This Sejm convened for the first time on February 10, 1919, and its primary task was to adopt a constitution and key laws for the Polish state. Wojciech Trąmpczyński, a lawyer and National Democratic activist, became the first Marshal after the adoption of the March Constitution. Trąmpczyński remained Marshal. His portrait graces the Polish Post's commemorative stamp "100 Years of the Legislative Sejm."
Polish Red Cross
This institution, founded in 1919 and still operating today, is one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the world. Its activities focus on providing humanitarian aid during disasters and wars, social assistance, first aid training, providing medical support at mass events, promoting the idea of honorary blood donation, and disseminating knowledge about the international laws of armed conflict. The "100th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Polish Red Cross" stamp depicts an equal-armed red cross, echoing the Polish Red Cross logo and the outline of Poland.
Military Ordinariate
February 5th marked the centenary of the establishment of a military bishopric in Poland by Pope Benedict XV. The " 100th Anniversary of the Military Ordinariate" stamp features photographs of paintings with the likenesses of Archbishop Achille Ratti, the first apostolic nuncio to the Republic of Poland from 1918 to 1921, later Pope Pius XI (1922 to 1939), who distinguished himself in establishing a military bishopric in Poland on February 5, 1919, and Archbishop Stanisław Gallo, military bishop of the Polish army. The central part of the stamp features a photograph of the military bishop's crosier.
In the Polish Armed Forces, the military chaplaincy functioned as the Military Bishopric of the Polish Army until 1945. It was then transformed into the General Deanery of the Polish Army and operated in this form from 1945 to January 1991. Since January 21, 1991, it has operated as the Military Ordinariate of the Polish Army. Currently, the military chaplaincy forms a structure known as the Military Ordinariate, which continues the tradition of the military bishopric in Poland. The current military bishop is Józef Guzdek.
Supreme Audit Office
It was among the institutions established in 1919. The existence of a competent audit body independent of the executive branch was essential for the efficient functioning of the state. The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) safeguarded public funds. The commemorative stamp "100th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Supreme Audit Office" features a watercolor by Andrzej Wasilewski depicting the current NIK headquarters building, located at 57 Filtrowa Street in Warsaw.
State Archives
The "100th Anniversary of the Establishment of State Archives" stamp depicts a symbolic passageway between document shelves, combining ancient and modern methods of collecting, recording, and storing collections. Its philatelic value refers to the development of the network of archives in Poland, which serve important cultural and identity-building functions. The FDC envelope features the historic decree on the organization of state archives and the care of archival materials, the most important document establishing archives in the reborn Poland.
Prison service
Next in the collection of commemorative stamps is "100th Anniversary of the Polish Prison Service," which features a prison service decoration against the backdrop of a historical and contemporary photograph of prison officers in their ceremonial uniforms. The stamps were printed using rotogravure on fluorescent paper, in a format of 43 x 31.25 mm, with a circulation of 100,000.
Detailed information about individual stamps is available here .
These and other publications of Poczta Polska can be purchased at Poczta Polska branches and online store: www.filatelistyka.poczta-polska.pl .