Do you know which is the smallest banknote in the world? But the largest stone sculpture in Europe? Perhaps you have wondered at some point but found no answer, or maybe you haven’t thought about issues like this at all. Because in our work to discover the beauty and uniqueness of Romania we learned many interesting things, we wish to make them known by reproducing them graphically and also promoting them through the Romanian philately.
Thus, the latest project of Romfilatelia, Romanian curiosities and superlatives, invites you into a universe made of a series of special national achievements and discoveries, which impresses with ingenuity, craftsmanship and unique character. Part of this universe is found illustrated on the postage stamps of the issue, available for purchase starting from Wednesday, February 24th, 2016, in Romfilatelia’s shops in Bucharest, Bacau, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi and Timisoara.
The four stamps depict examples from areas such as art, coins, crafts and natural heritage, which impress by extraordinary sizes, spectacular shapes and stories that arouse the interest of readers.
On the stamp with the face value of lei 3.00 is illustrated the smallest banknote in the world, according to the World Records Academy. It emerged as a necessity in 1917, in the midst of the World War, being issued by the Ministry of Finance at the time. Having the value of bani 10 and the size of 27.5 mm and 38 mm, the banknote is colored in green and orange, on the obverse being printed the face of King Ferdinand I, and on the reverse, Romania’s coat of arms.
A special attraction for those traveling through the Apuseni Mountains is the mineralogical collection in Brad, known as the Gold Museum and presented on the stamp with the face value of
lei 3.30. In Brad, Hunedoara county, is found the only Museum of gold, where can be seen the most beautiful forms in which gold is found in the depths of the earth, incredible replicas of objects, plants and animals.
On the postage stamp with the face value of lei 5.00 is represented the largest mechanical organ in Romania and among the largest in Europe – the Buchholz organ of the Black Church in Brasov. Built between 1836 – 1839 by craftsman Carl August Buchholz of Berlin, the organ is in its original condition, with 3993 pipes distributed on 84 rows, 63 sound registers and 76 levers. The keyboards are covered with ivory, the higher ones are ebony and the registers’ names are engraved on porcelain plates and covered with glass.
The largest stone sculpture in Europe is reproduced on the postage stamp with the face value of
lei 14.50. This is the bas-relief depicting the last King of Dacia, Decebalus, made by the Italian sculptor Mario Galeotti, at the private initiative of the businessman Iosif Constantin Dragan. It is found on the rocky bank of the Danube, near the city of Orsova, and reaches 42.9 m in height and 31.6 m in width. Access to the sculpture is done only by boat, the rock where it was carved being above the deepest portion of the Danube (120 m).
The four stamps of the issue Romanian curiosities and superlatives are completed by a first day cover, and as page composition were used the sheet of 32 stamps and the minisheet of 5 stamps +
1 label and illustrated border.
Romfilatelia thanks the National Museum of Romanian History, the Evangelical Church C.A. of Romania – Brasov Parish, the National Company of Copper, Gold and Iron “MINVEST” S.A. Deva and the Dragan European Foundation for the documentary support granted in the creation of this postage stamp issue.
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A stamp ennobles the communication by itself; it shares emotions, compresses distances and creates connections; it gathers on its miniature surface “huge” stories about human and material values, including them successfully within the Romanian heritage; A stamp is transformed in time, redefining its role according to the society’s current facts: from an advocate of noble causes and a friend of influential Romanian personalities to a leading messenger of the most important events, or simply, a genuine ambassador of our country and the Romanian people. Do not forget to search for and discover the excitement of a world gathered on the Romanian stamps!
For further information, please contact the Public Relation Office:
Tel: 021 / 337 24 42