The Anniversaries of Great Personalities
Newsletter no. 104.pdf
On March 10, 2025 the Ministry of Digital Development of the
Kyrgyz Republic puts into circulation a series of 2024 Kyrgyz Express Post postage stamps and a souvenir
sheet: "The Anniversaries of Great Personalities".
The year 2024 marks anniversaries of some outstanding personalities
who have made invaluable contributions to the development of global science and culture, in particular:
700th death anniversary of Marco Polo, 200th birth anniversary of Bedřich Smetana, 150th birth anniversary
of Guglielmo Marconi, 100th birth anniversary of Bulat Okudzhava and 225th birth anniversary of Alexander
Pushkin. These anniversaries are commemorated by the new issue of Kyrgyz Express Post, which includes four
postage stamps and one souvenir sheet.
Marco Polo (1254 - 1324) was a Venetian merchant and
explorer who undertook one of the earliest European journeys to Asia. He described his journey in "Book of
the Marvels of the World", which had a great influence on the development of cartography, navigation and
further exploration of the Asian continent by Europeans. Marco Polo spent seventeen years in China. It was
thanks to Marco Polo that a wide circle of Europeans learned about paper money, the sago palm, black stones
that burn, as well as typical crafts and culinary traditions of various Chinese regions.
On his way to China, Marco Polo visited the regions of Central
Asia. The route of his journey probably passed through the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan.
Bedřich Smetana (1824 - 1884) was a Czech composer, pianist
and conductor, founder of the Czech national school of music. He was the first composer to use Czech folk
tales and motifs in his compositions. Smetana was the first to create an opera entirely written in the Czech
language.
Smetana's work had a huge impact on Czech composers of subsequent
generations. Bedřich Smetana's symphonic poem "Vltava" from the cycle "Má vlast" became the unofficial Czech
national anthem.
The musical works of Bedřich Smetana are performed on all the most
prestigious stages of the world. They are popular among both professional musicians and ordinary lovers of
classical music in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Guglielmo Marconi (1874 - 1937) was an Italian scientist and
inventor in the field of radio engineering. Marconi's name is associated with the emergence and development
of wireless telegraphy, as well as the beginning of the practical application of radio communication.
In 1909, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his
contribution to the invention and development of wireless telegraphy. In 1912, he became known worldwide
thanks to the fact that the sinking liner "Titanic" was equipped with Marconi's radiotelegraph, and distress
signals were received by the steamship "Carpathia", which hurried to the aid of those in distress.
In addition to his scientific and inventive activities, Guglielmo
Marconi also proved himself to be a successful entrepreneur and a sophisticated politician and
diplomat.
Bulat Okudzhava (1924 - 1997) was a Russian poet, prose
writer, teacher, screenwriter, composer and performer of his own songs. Okudzhava was one of the most famous
and popular representatives of the genre of bard music. He composed approximately 200 songs that enjoyed
well-deserved fame throughout the former USSR, including Kyrgyzstan.
Literary works of Bulat Okudzhava have been translated into many
languages and published in numerous countries around the world. Bulat Okudzhava was a participant in World
War II (Eastern Front) and was awarded government awards for his military merits.
The Russian Federation has established the Bulat Okudzhava Prize,
awarded to poets and performers of bard songs.
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799 - 1837) was an
outstanding Russian poet, playwright, prose writer, literary critic, historian, publicist and theorist of
literature. He is one of the main founders of the modern Russian literary language. Being a pioneer in the
use of colloquial speech in his works, Alexander Pushkin created a narrative style that combined drama,
romance and satire. Pushkin was also a professional writer: he was the first in Russia to make a living from
literary work.
Pushkin's work had a significant impact on subsequent Russian
writers - Dostoevsky, Gogol, Tyutchev, Tolstoy, as well as on Russian composers Tchaikovsky and
Mussorgsky.
His commitment to freedom and independence of views often brought
him into conflict with the Tsarist authorities. Often the writer had to make forced compromises with the
ruling elites.
Pushkin's works are a treasure of world culture, they are studied
in educational institutions in many countries, including Kyrgyzstan. Translations of Alexander Pushkin's
works into the Kyrgyz language are very popular in the Kyrgyz Republic.
The KEP souvenir sheet features Nikolai Ge’s painting "Alexander
Pushkin in the village Mihaylovskoye" (1893). The First Day Cover shows a reproduction of Valentin Serov’s
"Pushkin in the Village" (1899) and the postcard for the maximum card depicts a reproduction of Pyotr
Sokolov’s "Portrait of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin" (1836). Kyrgyz Express Post expresses its gratitude to
The National Pushkin Museum for providing electronic copies of these artworks.
For this series, KEP also issues five postcards, which are used to
realize five maximum cards.
No. 238
Stamps and souvenir sheet description
No. 234. 150 KGS. Marco Polo (1254 - 1324)No. 235. 150 KGS. Bedřich Smetana (1824 - 1884)
No. 236. 150 KGS. Guglielmo Marconi (1874 - 1937)
No. 237. 150 KGS. Bulat Okudzhava (1924 - 1997)
Souvenir sheet no. 20
No. 238. 300 KGS. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799 - 1837)
Technical specifications
Paper: coated, gummed, 105 g/m².
Printing method: full-color offset lithography.
Stamps:
Stamps size: 46 × 27.5 mm.
Stamps are issued in minisheets of 5 stamps with one label.
Minisheets size: 113 × 108 mm.
Perforation: comb 14:14½.
Quantity issued: 7 000 pieces each stamp.
Souvenir sheet:
Stamp size: 27.5 × 46 mm.
Souvenir sheet size: 108 × 66 mm.
Perforation: comb 14½:14.
Quantity issued: 7 000 pieces.
Designer: Daria Maier.
Printer House: "Nova Imprim" (Chișinău, Moldova).
A special cancellation on FDCs will be carried out at the Bishkek KEP Office (729001) on the stamps and souvenir sheet issuing day.
The first day covers, postcards and special postmark are designed by Daria Maier.
Covers size: С6 (162 × 114 mm).
For stamps: Quantity of covers issued: 300 pieces each.
Quantity of postcards issued: 400 pieces each.
For souvenir sheet: Quantity of covers issued: 400 pieces.
Quantity of postcards issued: 500 pieces.
Endorsing ink color: black.
Stamps, souvenir sheets, maximum cards and FDCs can be purchased here.
