Romfilatelia provides to the general public and passionate collectors, the issue of postage stamps presented under the generic title Romanian Postage Stamp Day. Events. The “King Ferdinand I” National Military Museum, 100 years, which will be introduced into circulation on Friday, July 14, this year.
Romanian Postage Stamp Day – 2023 highlights in the images of the postage stamps several events related to history and philately: Together with the 165th anniversary of the first Romanian postage stamp, “Cap de bour” (Bull Head), the philatelic issue dedicated to the celebration of the postage stamp adds the Centenary of the “King Ferdinand I” National Military Museum. Completing the graphics of the four postage stamps there are images of old postage stamps philatelic premieres: the first effigy reproduced on stamps (Alexandru Ioan Cuza, 1864), the first ROMANIA inscription on postage stamps (1872), the first Ferdinand I postage stamps (1919) and the only Ferdinand I anniversary issue (60 years, 1926).
The “King Ferdinand I” National Military Museum represents the carrying out of the efforts made over decades by outstanding personalities of the Romanian elite, starting with Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Vasile Pârvan, Nicolae Iorga, Radu R. Rosetti, Constantin Ștefănescu Amza and ending with King Ferdinand I, who, in 1923, decided by Royal Decree to establish the National Military Museum as an institution in its own right.
In 1906, following the organizing in Bucharest of the Great National Exhibition occasioned by the 40th anniversary of the reign of King Carol I, an architectural complex was built in Carol (formerly Libertății) Park to house the exhibitions and commemorative events that were to take place. On this occasion, the military objects became a separate part of the exhibition, the military section, arousing great public interest.
In 1924, at the Palace of Arts, the museum opened to the public, offering 17 rooms and 8 galleries presenting the military history of the Romanians until 1922. From 1925 until the outbreak of the World War II, the museum’s patrimony included objects from the Army Pyrotechnics, the Târgoviște Armament Depot, the Sibiu Armament Depot, as well as private purchases and donations. Among these, a special place was given to donations from the governments of the countries with which Romania had been allied during the war: Belgian (1925), French (1927), Italian (1928), British (1928), Czechoslovak (1928), which made available to the National Military Museum a series of pieces from the equipment of the armies of those countries. This took place in the context of the planned opening in the museum of a room of the Romanian allies of the World War I.
After having functioned in several locations, the former barracks of the Ilfov 4th Regiment became the host of the military museum, reopened to the public in October 1988. Since 2006, taking the name of the man who promulgated its founding act, the museum has become the “King Ferdinand I” National Military Museum.
Together with the postage stamps showing moments of philatelic history, the images of the four stamps that compose the issue dedicated to the museum’s Centenary, reproduce the architecture of the most important buildings (the first building in Carol Park and the current one) illustrated on the stamps with the face values of Lei 1.40 and Lei 19.50 and two exhibits from the museum’s heritage: the clock of Alexandru Ioan Cuza and a detail of a chromolithograph with the image of King Carol I on the battlefield of the War of Independence in 1877 reproduced on the stamps with the face values of Lei 2.30 and Lei 2.90.
Romfilatelia thanks to the representatives of the „King Ferdinand I” National Military Museum and the Romanian Academy Library for the good collaboration within this postage stamps issue.
The philatelic album is created in a limited edition of 268 copies and is equipped with the special philatelic block of four imperforated stamps of the issue Romanian Postage Stamp Day. Events. The “King Ferdinand I” National Military Museum, 100 years, having two First Day postmarks clearly imprinted in gold foiling, as well as the anniversary philatelic block introduced into circulation on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the first Romanian Philatelic Exhibition, with the text 165 Years – The first “Bull Head” stamp imprinted in gold foiling. The two philatelic pieces are numbered from 001 to 268.
