2 сovers from Poland

On the 28-th and 30-th I got these nice covers fro Poland. The first registered one represents many stamps concluding 2 devoted to the European Woman Volleyball championship and  European Man Basketball Championship. I've not fot sport stamps from the Beijing Olympiad, so I was really glad to supplement my sport topic! The other stamp on this cover is devoted to the 20 anniversary of the forming of the first goverment in non-communistic Poland. It was a very imporstant event for that country since it gave rise of a new democratic Poland.

The other cover's mini sheet is also devoted to a very important event in Polish history - the Outbreak of the Warsaw uprising, which took place in 1944 and was directed against fasсism occupation in order to show the world and themself that "Poland has not yet perished"  (a line from the Polish hymn). 

Historic events is one of my favourite topics, so I was looking forward to these stamp and was really glad to get them!

Thank you, Andrzej! 

POLAND 2009 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP IN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Poczta Polska accompanies all of the numerous major sporting events in Poland, an example of which is the postage stamp issued on account of the 26th European Championship in Women's Volleyball. Between 25 September and 4 October matches took place in Łódź, Katowice, Bydgoszcz and Wrocław with the participation of 16 among the best European national teams. Like 2 years ago, the Italian team won the gold medal beating Holland 3:0. Polish volleyball fans also had reasons for joy as the Polish team took 3rd place.

EuroBasket 2009 

European Championships in men's basketball are held every two years. Poland hosted the competitions once in 1963 (in the city of Wrocław), and again this year between 7 and 20 September, with matches in several cities throughout the country ( Katowice, Łódź, Bydgoszcz, Wrocław, Warsaw, Poznań and Gdańsk). In the final match the Spanish team beat the representation of Serbia. This year's championships were assessed very well by both the participants and FIBA Europe (the International Basketball Federation). 

New postage stamp and First Day Cover 

On account of the EuroBasket 2009 championships Poczta Polska issued a stamp with a First Day Cover featuring a motif of a ball tossed into the basket. The stamps were printed on sheets of 12 pieces, each sheet containing the title of the issue and an inscription reading "BASKETFIL International Philatelic Exhibition Poznań 2009". The issue is accompanied by an occasional date stamp, in use in the Poznań 1 Post Office.

12 SEPTEMBER 1989. THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF FORMING THE GOVERNMENT AFTER THE JUNE ELECTIONS

12 September 2009 celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the forming of the first non-communist government brought into being as a consequence of the June Elections in 1989. The events, which made that happen, were initiated by the strikes of the shipyard workers which ended up establishing "Solidarity" and signing the August Agreement with the communistic authorities. They were followed by the martial law and the Round Table deciding to hold first free elections to the Sejm and Senate.

THE 65th ANNIVERSARY OF THE OUTBREAK OF THE WARSAW UPRISING

This year witnesses the 65th anniversary of the great patriotic spurt of Polish people, mainly dwellers of Warsaw, which was aimed at the German occupant. This liberating fight initiated and managed by the Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK) and joined also by other underground organizations was widely supported by the civil population of the capital city and intended to remind the world that the heart of our homeland still beats, that "Poland has not yet perished". The important role in this national outbreak was played by children and youth along with their older colleagues to which people of Warsaw pay homage every year in the insurgent quarter at the Powązki Cemetery

Cover from Spain

On the 10 of December after 13 days of travelling I got this cover from Spain. It's devoted to the civil values such as fight against climate change, the idea "Plant for the planet', reconcillation of work and family life. I consider them to be rather important topic for our everyday life! Following them will really help to make our life easy and comfortable and our Earth - better place to live. I also should notice the original ideas of the stamps! They are really amazing! Thank you very much, David!

"¿Tú no?"



The idea for the Plant for the Planet was inspired by Professor Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate for 2004 and organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The objective is to plant at least one thousand million trees worldwide each year. In Spain, the campaign has had a very positive reception and 25 million trees have already been planted in one year and 100 million more are to be planted in the following years. Many big companies collaborate in this campaign amongst which is Correos, who gives part of the sales from the eco-friendly packing boxes to the foundation “Forests of the Earth”.


"DESCO2NECTA"



The fight against climate change is one of the challenges that faces mankind and the United Nations has made an appeal to us all to change our consumer habits and reduce the CO2 footprint. The European Union is one of the international organizations committed with the environment and has implemented obligations to the member states to control green house emissions and reach the following objectives: use less polluting energy sources, use alternative means of transport, make companies responsible for an efficient use of energy and their CO2 emission without jeopardizing their competitiveness, place town planning and agriculture at the service of the environment and create favourable conditions for research and innovation.


"Conciliación Vida Laboral"



To make possible reconciliation of work and family life, fighting discrimination between working men and women and help both partners fulfil their household obligations is a main objective. The new legislation acknowledges a flexible working schedule as well as maternity, paternity leaves and time off to look after one’s family. Equal opportunities for parents and the co-participation in childcare from the moment of childbirth is now becoming a reality.
 

Cover from Italy

On the 10-th of December  after 17 days of travelling I got this letter from Italy. this time it's devoted to the outstanding scientist - Charles Darwin. I believe there is no need to write about his genious - all of us know his theory of evolution. There is some exact information about the stamp:

In the foreground is a portrait of the scientist Charles Darwin, while in the background is a detail of the title page of the first edition of his work ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES, published in 1859. At the bottom on the left are a number of outlines representing the evolution of the human race, from the first hominids to homo sapiens. 

Thank you very much, Lorenzo!

Cover from Brazil

On the 16-th of December after 23 (! one more anti-record) I got my first cover from Brazil! There are the exactly stamps I wanted! The first is devoted to Russian-Brazil cooperation in space investigation. The other  2 are devoted to the International Polar Year - also the topic I collect the stamps from! As you can see, the stamps have special cancellation! Thank you very much Ricardo for the amazing cover!

Cover from Spain

On the 16-th of December after 13 days of travelling I got this letter from Spain. There were 2 Europa 2006 Spanish  stamps, devoted to the topic "Integration". Of course I was really glad to get it for my europa collection is enlarging and the stamp on the cover is very interesting for me as well. It celebrates the 60 anniversary of The Counsil of Europe. Thank you  very much, Jose Luis! 

On occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Council of Europe, Correos issues a commemorative stamp depicting the logo of this public institution with the inscription 60 years 2009. 

In 1949, ten countries signed the Treaty of London establishing the Council of Europe. In article 1 of its Statute it states its aim to “achieve a greater unity between its members and to promote awareness and encourage the development of Europe's cultural identity and diversity and to favour its economic and social progress.” 

60 years after its foundation, The Council of Europe has a genuine pan-European dimension with 47 members, representing 800 million citizens and 5 observer countries: the Holy See, the United States, Canada, Japan, and Mexico. Its headquarters are in Strasbourg and its aims are to protect human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law, to promote awareness and encourage the development of Europe's cultural identity and diversity, to find common solutions to the challenges facing European society: such as discrimination against minorities, xenophobia, intolerance, terrorism, trafficking in human beings, organised crime and to consolidate democratic stability in Europe by backing political, legislative and constitutional reform.

The logo is the Council of Europe's own distinctive sign and was adopted in May 1999. The Council shares the flag, twelve golden stars on a blue background, with the European Union and the prelude to the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 9th Symphony as the European anthem.

 

On the 8-th of December after 14 days of travelling I got these 2 nice covers, sent from Poland. There are 2 stamps which continue the series of “The capitals of EU countries”. Now it’s complete! The other stamp represents "Polish traces in Europe". This time Polish Post issued the stamp, devoted to Jerzy Franciszek Kulczycki - the interpreter of Russian-Ukrainian origin which took part in one of Polish-Turkian war and awarded a sum of money and some packs of coffee. That's how he became the first European coffee house owner. 

Thank you very much, Andrzej!

Bratislava - the Castle 

Bratislava, in the past also known as Pressburg, Pozsóny or Posonium, is a formerly Hungarian city located on the Danube river. It became the capital city of Slovakia in 1918 following the breakdown of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, it wasn’t until 1993, following the hardships of war and the communist regime, that political changes occurred allowing the city to become the capital of the autonomous Slovakian state. 
Fortified outposts have been built on the Castle Hill since as early as 9th century as the city was on numerous occasions a target for raids (among others by the Tartars). The construction of the castle begun in the 12th century and the present shape of the building comes from the 18th century, when it was added with baroque features during the reign of Maria Theresa of Austria. The castle suffered serious damage during a fire in 1811 and wasn’t rebuilt again until the 1950s. Presently it houses, among others, the Museum of History.

Warsaw - the Castle Square

Although Warsaw was founded as early as in the 13th century, the significance of the city grew considerably when it became the capital of Poland and the home of the royal court (which had until then been located in Krakow) in 1596. King Sigismund III Vasa settled in the royal palace (which had formerly served as a castle and was rebuilt for that purpose) in the year 1611. The reign of Sigismund III Vasa and later on his son, Władysław IV Vasa, was a golden age for Warsaw, a time when the city flourished with rapid growth and development. 
The Castle Square depicted on the stamp opens the way to the Old Town. The column crowned with a sculpture of Sigismund III, whose construction was ordered by Władysław IV, was erected between 1643 and 1644. The Royal Palace, destroyed in World War II, wasn’t rebuilt until the 1970s. Both the palace and the entire Old Town are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Cover from Canada

On the 23-rd of November after 11 days of travelling I got this letter from Canada. It shows the sports of upcoming Olympiad 2010 in Vancouver. Olympiad is one of my favourite topic, so I'm very glad to get these stamps from the hosting country! Thank you, Patrick!

Canada's Stamp Details (Vol. XVIII No 1; January to March 2009) 

Though the torch has not yet been lit, the Olympic Spirit is already spreading across Canada as fans, athletes and officials from around the world await the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. To mark Canada’s role as Host Country of the world’s most celebrated sporting event, Canada Post will issue five PERMANENT™ domestic rate stamps showcasing 2010 Winter Games sports. This vibrant stamp set features curling, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, bobsleigh and ice sledge hockey.

The 2010 Winter Games provide Canadians with an opportunity to continue a tradition that began with the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924 in Chamonix, France. What began as a 16-event competition with 16 countries participating has grown to 86 medal events and more than 80 countries (in the case of the Olympic Winter Games), and 64 medal events and more than 40 countries (in the case of the Paralympic Winter Games).

The stamps issued to mark this upcoming event feature athletes in action, with a strong emphasis on movement. “We were inspired by Olympic imagery of the 1940s and 1950s, particularly the highly romanticized silk-screened posters of the era,” explains John Belisle, Creative Director of Signals Design Group in Vancouver. “We started with basic sketches of athletes in action and, to give the design a contemporary spin, we layered the images.” These layers of transparencies capture the movement of the athletes. Belisle adds, “We’ve carried this sense of motion onto the souvenir sheet, where we’ve created movement by winding the pattern of the Vancouver 2010 colour scheme.” Blues and whites worked into the stamp designs convey the feeling of snow and ice.

According to Liz Wong, Manager of Stamp Design and Production at Canada Post, this stamp issue really speaks to the dynamism of the upcoming Games. “Its energy reflects Canada’s excitement to be hosting this world-class event,” she explains. “As these stamps make their way from coast to coast, they’ll help spread the Olympic and Paralympic Spirit and build anticipation for the arrival of the world’s athletes, officials and sports enthusiasts.”

Here’s a glimpse at the sports highlighted in this issue:

Ice sledge hockey—Ice sledge hockey was invented at a rehabilitation centre in Stockholm, Sweden, in the 1960s. The sport made its Paralympic debut at the Lillehammer 1994 Paralympic Winter Games.

Snowboard—Inspired by skiing, surfing and skateboarding, snowboard is an exciting addition to the Olympic winter sports family. The sport made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

Freestyle skiing—Freestyle skiing involves aerial manoeuvres performed while skiing downhill. Moguls were added to the official program of the Albertville Olympic Winter Games in 1992, and aerials made their first appearance at the Olympic Winter Games in 1994 in Lillehammer.

Bobsleigh—Though sleds have been used for centuries as a mode of transportation, bobsledding was not born until the late 19th century, when the Swiss attached a steering mechanism to a toboggan. In 1924, a four-man bobsleigh race took place at the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, France.

Cover from Poland

On the 11-th of November after 7 days of travelling I got this awesome cover from Poland. It continues the series of the EU capitals. I do like the stamps devoted to the cities, so these stamps will find their own place in my collection. Thank you very much, Andrzej!

Here is some information about the stamps:

Brussels - Grand Place

Brussels is more than the capital city of Belgium. It is the capital city of the entire European Union and also the home of numerous important international institutions, including the headquarters of NATO. Founded in the 9th century, during the Middle Ages Brussels grew to become the most significant city in the Duchy of Brabant, a centre of trade and craftsmanship. Its present inhabitants fall into two linguistic groups - the Flemish and the French group. Other than in the rest of the country, which is divided into Flanders and Wallonia, in Brussels both languages are used democratically. 
The Grand Place compound is the centre of the city from the point of view of history, geography and trade. It contains a city hall erected in gothic style (Hôtel de Ville), the Royal House (16th century palace presently housing the City Museum) and historical tenements dating back to the 17th and the 18th century. It is widely considered that the only competitor for Grand Place as the most beautiful place of its kind in Europe is St. Mark’s Square in Venice. 

Helsinki - the National Museum 

The city of Helsinki was established in 1550 as a centre of trade. At that time it was a Swedish city, located at the mouth of the river Vantaa. In 1640 it was moved to its present location at the Gulf of Finland. The city suffered on numerous occasions due to Russian raids and natural disasters. Following a fire in 1808 it was rebuilt to resemble Petersburg, and it became the capital city of Finland in 1917. The city, with its picturesque location, is famous for a unique harmony between architecture and landscape. Among its countless monuments, most of which date back to the 19th century, are the St. Nicolas’s Cathedral, the city hall and the presidential palace. The National Museum edifice featured on the postage stamp was constructed in 1910 and is crowned with a slender tower, making it resemble a cathedral. 

Nicosia - the Famagusta Gate 

Although formally an EU Member State, Cyprus is part of Asian territory. Its capital city, Nicosia (Gr. Lefkosia), was in 1974 divided into a Turkish zone occupying the northern part and a Greek zone in the south of the city. The division reflects a centuries old conflict between the local inhabitants. The ancient name of the city was Ledra, and later on Leukosia. It had been the bishop’s residence since the 4th century, and in the 12th century it became the capital city of the island which then changed in 1489 when it was conquered by the Venicians. Since 1570 it had been ruled by the Ottoman Turks and in 1878 Nicosia became the capital city of Cyprus, a British colony. Finally, in 1960 it was renamed the capital of the Republic of Cyprus. The traces of Nicosia passing from under one rule to another are visible in the city’s monuments. 
The Famagusta Gate, dating back to the second half of the 16th century, is one of the three gates constituting a system of Venician fortifications surrounding the city (the wall is 4.5 kilometres long). It was designed by Giulio Savorgano to resemble a similar Venician gate located in Iraklion on the island of Crete. Presently the interiors of the gate serve as a venue for concerts and exhibitions.

Cover from Czech Republic

On the 31-st of October I got this cover from Czech Republic. Unfortunately i didn't find the English version on the Czech post site, so I cann't add any information about the stamps. Hope it will appear soon or I just will find it.

Thank you very much, Milan! 

Euro cover from Spain

On the 29-th of October after 9 days of travelling I got this letter with mint Europa 2008 stamp inside. Spain had defenitely amazing europa stamp last year!

Thank you very much, Jose!

Euro covers from Italy

On the 26-th of October and 6-th of November after 13 days travelling I got these letters. There are 2 Europa 2009 Italian stamps. On the 0.65 € stamp you can see the AGILE astronomy satellite in orbit, with a detail of Planet Earth on the right. And on the 0.60 € stamp - the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) telescope, situated on La Palma, in the Canary Islands archipelago, with a detail of the universe as observed through the telescope in the background.

I'm so glad that my Euro cept collection is growing!

Thank you very much, Lorenzo!

Cover from Slovakia

On the 20-th of October after 8 days of travelling I got this cover from Slovakia and these beautyful mint stampsinside. As you can see the stamps represent Olympiad and Parolympiad in Beijing 2008 - one of my favourite topic. And, of course, I cann't avoid the Europa 2008 Slovak stamp - writing letters. On the cover you can see present Slovakian president - Ivan Gasparovic. Thank you so much, Milos!

Cover from Portugal

On the 21-st of October after 19 days of travellimg I got this amazing cover, devoted to the birth bicentenary of Louis Braille (1809-1852), the inventor of a system that combines embossed dots and which is applied to reading, writing, calculation and music for the blind.

Some words about the stamps on cover which are 2 from 4 in complete set:

On the block, produced in cooperation with the Portuguese Association for the Blind and Partially Sighted (Associação de Cegos e Amblíopes de Portugal – ACAPO), all the information appears repeated in Braille characters and on the limited space of the stamp, the word Braille can also be read in both types of characters. The remaining stamps of this issue are dedicated to each of the five senses, allowing for experiencing real physical interaction: the touch feels the embossed ink coming out of the tube; the smell receives the aroma of the cup of coffee; the sight detects holographic images on the spectacle lenses that change according to the position of the stamp; the taste identifies the flavour of vanilla on the glue of the stamp that shows an ice-cream; the ear is sensitive to the noise made by the file when you rub its rough surface.


And there was a souvenir sheet inside (see upper) devoted to 200th anniversary of the birthday of Louis Braille. I've already got one stamp with him and hope to get more since this topic seems to be very important, because this man made life of blind people better.

Thank you very much, Luis!

 

FDC from Poland

On the 19-th of October after 16 days of travelling I got these 2 letters with FDC devoted to the Defensive War in Poland which was a part of WW II. That was one of the most terrible event in the human history and it should never happens again. We should remember about all the horrors it brought to the world and I hope the stamps will help it.


1 September 2009 marks the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, the greatest military conflict of the 20 th century not only in relation to utilized forces and means but also suffered material and human losses. This cruel war lasted for six years and came to an end on 2 September 1945 with the capitulation of Japan. In Europe, Germany signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender on 8 May 1945. 

The first day of September of the year to remember. 

It is commonly believed that the war broke out with gunfire shot from the battleship Schleswig-Holstein at the Polish military transit depot in the Westerplatte peninsula at the Gulf of Gdańsk, which was fiercely defended by a handful of soldiers led by major Henryk Sucharski. The German gunfire was backed up by a torpedo-boat, planes, SS battalion and front-line troops. Westerplatte surrendered on 7 September and its heroic defense took on the symbolic meaning. The September Campaign, also known as the Defensive War ended on 5 October 1939. Poland became shrouded by a dark night of occupation. 

Wieluń - first casualty of war 

Wieluń became the first target of attack by the Germans during World War II. It was bombarded at daybreak at 4.40. As a result of bombardment, 75 percentage of the town infrastructure was devastated. The city centre was almost razed to the ground. Two thousand people died. The hospital was first to be hit and destroyed in spite of the red cross on its roof. For two days did the soldiers of 28. Division of Infantry of Army "Łódź" heroically and ferociously defend the town. 

Westerplatte of the South 

This name was given to Węgierska Górka - a village in Żywiec County located at the foot of Barania Góra mountain - due to unyielding, fearless defense of fronts. Węgierska Górka was attacked by German 7. Division of Infantry that earlier seized Czadca, Koniaków, Skalite, Zwardoń, Szare, Kamiesznica and Milówek. The enemy encountered ferocious defense on the part of the Border Protection Corps units (Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza KOP) and troops of Army "Kraków". On 2 September the German soldiers took control of Babia Góra mountain and after numerous unsuccessful attempts, under cover of night, they broke through to the Polish positions. The brave defense of the region of Węgierska Górka taking place on 1-3 September slowed down the advancement of the enemy and put paid to the disintegration of the southern wing of Army "Kraków".

...enemy attacked Poland from a neighbouring country... 

When Poles wrestled with one enemy coming from the west border, they were attacked by their eastern neighbor. On 17 September 1939 it was invaded by the Red Army which numbered over 800 thousand soldiers, pulverizing and plundering the country. In this situation Polish Army did not stand chance of winning: heroically defended Warsaw surrendered on 28 September, the Modlin Fortress surrendered on 29 September, the Hel Peninsula capitulated on 2 October. The last battle of the September Campaign was fought by the Independent Operational Group "Polesie" under command of general Franciszek Kleeberg, which opposed Germans in the battle of Kock from 2 to 5 October, earlier the Border Protection Corps fighting Russians in the battle of Szack on 29-30 September and 1 October the battle of Wytyczno.

New postage stamps and First Day Covers 

In tribute to the participants of the September Campaign, Poczta Polska introduced two stamps. The first one presents a German archival photograph of the bombarded Wieluń. The town is seen from the cabin of a bomber, the perspective of the aggressor. The bottom of the photograph shows the zero hour. The cover includes a map of the destructed districts of the town. The issue is accompanied by an occasional date stamp with the view of a saved church standing surrounded by the ruins, in use in Wieluń 1 Post Office. The second stamp is devoted to Węgierska Górka. This time the fighting is presented from the defenders' perspective, from the bunker, as seen with a Polish soldier's eyes. The First Day Cover shows a plan of location of fortifications along with the direction of attacks of the German Army. An occasional date stamp with a military eagle has been displayed by the Węgierska Górka Post Office.

Thank you, Anrzej!

Also you can see additions stamps - Euro cept collection (yay!) - now I have Europa 2009 stamp from Poland! 

Cover from Canada

On the 13-th of October after 17 days of travelling I got these beautyful stamps on a  cover via postcrossing project. 

One of them is devoted to the International Astronomy Year. I was especially glad to get t since it's connected with the theme of 2009 Europa stamps.

The stamp features fascinating images from space with a renowned Canadian observatory in the foreground to represent Canada’s important role in astronomy, which includes the co-discovery of the first black hole in outer space. Envelope seals show other haunting space photographs. All of this against a background showing a magnificent picture of the planet Jupiter.

Unfortunately I got nice stamps via postcrossing rather rarely, so this time it was a nice surprice!

Thank you, Weedgenie!

Cover from Poland

On the 26-th of September after just 7 days of travelling I recieved this register cover from Poland. It shows the mammals of the Baltic Sea. You can lear more here:

Mammals of the Baltic Sea 

All the animals inhabiting the Baltic Sea are under protection. These are three species of seals and the porpoise - the only Baltic cetacean. Until the beginning of the 20 th century the sea was abundant in these animals, yet since they feed chiefly on fish they were found harmful. There were awards granted to those who killed them. It soon led to almost total extermination of the Baltic seals and cetaceans. The attempts at restoring the population of those animals have been taking place for nearly 20 years. Presently, the main threat they may face is the fishing net they may entangle in. Once entangled, the animals suffocate as they fail to resurface for oxygen. Another threat is posed by environmental pollution which brings on diseases and problems related to reproduction. A third, very important factor, is the development of tourism and fishery. Lack of peace as well as noise scare the animals away from their habitat giving them with no chance to rest, which usually leads to exhaustion. This is the reason why it is forbidden to interfere with a resting seal. However, it is worth informing the Marine Mammal Centre about such encounter. 

The Seal Centre of the Hel Marine Station - it is a field station of the Marine Station belonging to the Institute of Oceanography at the University of Gdańsk. The main aim of the station is to restore a colony of the grey seal in the region of the southern Baltic Sea. Those seals, which require care or have been bred in the Centre, return to their natural environment remaining valuable source of information about the species, its migrations or health condition. The Centre performs also educational work and popularizes the mammals living in the Baltic Sea. 

New stamps and First Day Cover (FDC) 

For the summer time, when plenty of fellow countrymen loosen up at the sea or just recall the stroll on the sands, Poczta Polska prepared a set of stamps presenting inhabitants of the Baltic Sea, the inhabitants whose existence is often forgotten or not known of. Four stamps in the scenery of a sea shore show: a porpoise, a grey seal, a harbour seal and a ringed seal. 
The stamps are accompanied by the First Day Cover and an occasional date stamp in use in Hel 1 Post Office. Inauguration of the stamps was held in the Hel Marine Mammals Centre.

Thank you, Andrzej!

On the 11-th of June I got my first cover from Slovakia. I really liked the envelope - they always are nice when they are decorated and since I'm interested in politic, the topic of the envelope and stamp is just foor me! I also got Europa 2009 stamp inside. Thank you so much, Milos!

The independent and sovereign Slovak Republic is one of the youngest countries in the world, although Slovaks are among the oldest European peoples. Due to unfavourable geopolitical and historical circumstances, Slovaks achieved their sovereign and independent statehood only 15 years ago, on 1 January 1993. The territory of the present Slovakia was compactly and continuously populated by the ancestors of the present Slovaks, most probably since the end of the 5th century. In the 9th century, they created a powerful early-feudal state, in which the foundations of the statehood of several Central European nations were laid along with the foundations of Slavonic culture and literature. This state ceased to exist at the beginning of the 10th century, but generations of Slovaks have acknowledged it as the fundamental element and origin of the national state-forming history. For a further near-millennium Slovaks lived in the Kingdom of Hungary, where, at the end of the 18th century, after the origination of modern nationalism, they strived for autonomy and self-government. As the central government of the Kingdom of Hungary rejected such claims and, on the contrary, aimed to create an ethnic Hungarian state, at the end of the World War I in 1918, Slovaks created a common state with the Czechs – the Czechoslovak Republic. As the Czech and Slovak Republic was not able to resolve all issues concerning their mutual relations, in 1992 Czech and Slovak politicians decided to separate the state peacefully and calmly, creating two independent states. The previous common state ceased to exist on 31 December 1992, and the independent Slovak Republic was declared on 1 January 1993.
The stamp depicts the map of the Slovak Republic highlighted by the Slovak national tricolour. Inside the borders are the symbols of eight central towns of the self-governing regions into which the Slovak Republic is subdivided. In the background of the stamp is a stylised emblem of the European Union, which the Slovak Republic joined in 2004. The first day cover shows the location of the Slovak Republic in Europe. The motif on the FDC stamp is the Mount Kriváň, which is the unofficial symbol of Slovakia.

On the 27-th of May after 23 (!!! yeah, letters from Slovenia go really fast :( ) days of travelling I got this letter with the stamp devoted to the Olympiad in Bejing. I'm always glad to get such stamps! Thank you Kristijan!  

On the 4-th of June after 12 days of travelling I got just amazing letter with nice stamps on the cover - 10 anniversaire of Euro and 2009 Europa Astronomy stamp and the complete set of Portugal 2009 Euro cept stamps. Huge thnks to Luis!

Cover from Poland

On the 29-th of May after 8 days of travelling I got this awesome cover from Poland which I was looking forward to. I can't say that I really collect art stamps, but I really like modern unordinary art. You can learn more about these great works here: 

The work

Władysław Hasior was an outstandingly original artist who never copied any trends. In his work he utilised various kinds of material, including some finished objects (such as dolls, pitchforks, mirrors) and fragments of others. That was because he claimed that the traditional sculptor's medium is not capable of conveying the message he wanted to send. He used to say "I'm using materials which have some meaning. Each and every object has its sense, and if you put them together, you get an aphorism. [...] I believe the artist's work consists in provocation, both in the intellectual and the creative aspect." 
In his outdoor creations the artist utilised fire, water, wind, sound and glass. One of his original creative inventions was using holes made in the ground in order to cast cement figures. Critics saw the influences of Dadaism, surrealism and pop art in Hasior's work. He was also inspired by folk arts, and was a careful observer of everyday reality, in particular that of the countryside. The artist liked to watch and document the cheap aesthetics of something he called "county arts"(sztuka powiatowa), which he then referred to in his work. He also reached into the mythology and conjured up memories of the war, invariably presenting the subjects in an unconventional manner and attaching new meaning to trite symbols, mixing macabre and cruelty with grotesque, irony and jest. His exhibitions were full of controversy, but at the same time prompted the viewers to reflection. 

Banners

Hasior's assemblages, inspired by religious procession banners, started to appear in the mid 1960s. Although they were constructed with the use of fabric, plastic objects, wood, metal or glass, the artist called them "paintings." They are very large, reaching between 1,5 and 4 metres in height and around 1 metre in width, and they are a mixture of both solemn symbols and the everyday aspects of life, which is seen from their titles such as: The Banner of St. Pensioner (Sztandar Św. Emeryta), The Banner of the Bird Spider (Sztandar Ptasznika), The Banner of Mona Lisa (Sztandar Mony Lisy), The Banner of Poland (Sztandar Polski), The Banner of the Black Angel (Sztandar Czarnego Anioła), The Flinging Blaze Banner (Sztandar Blaskomiotny), The Banner of Ecstasy (Sztandar Ekstazy). The artist used those banners in his outdoor performances such as the procession called The Feast of the Blooming Apple Tree (Święto Kwitnącej Jabłoni) in Łąck. 

New Stamps and First Day Covers

On 14 July 2009 ten years will have passed since the death of Władysław Hasior. Poczta Polska has prepared a series of four stamps featuring photographs of the artist's works - his assemblages: The Herald (Zwiastowanie) and The Fly (Mucha), and the Banner of the Green Poet (Sztandar Zielonej Poetki) and The Night Undressing Banner (Sztandar - Rozbieranie do snu). The first day covers feature the works entitled The Locust (Szarańcza) and The Sacrificial Banner (Sztandar Ofiarny). The issue is accompanied by an occasional date stamp, in use in Warsaw 1 Post Office.

Thank you very much, Andrzej!