Europa are special stamp issues offered by European Postal administrations to promote cooperation across postal domains and philately. These stamps help build awareness of common culture, roots and history of Europe. Each year Europa stamps issued by European postal administrations and enterprises currently bear the official EUROPA logo. Europe is the central theme with a specific topic selected annually.
The first Europa stamps were issued in 1956 by the founding six member countries of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg and the Netherlands under coordination of the European Communities. This first stamp issued had both a common theme and a common design “Rebuilding Europe”: a tower made up of the letters of the word “EUROPA” and surrounded by construction scaffolding. By 1957 the common theme of “Uniting Europe” was supported by a unique stamp designed issued by the member countries.
Europa themes over the decades cover a broad range of themes and venues.
HSE is pleased to offer this philatelic cornucopia of Europa: Stamps of Eastern Europe .
Art & Music
Europa Art
stamp issuances include Contemporary Art, Paintings and Poster Art.
Europa Musical Instruments
Many types of ethnic folk instruments are represented in Europa : Musical Instruments stamps of Eastern Europe, ranging from stringed instruments such as the zither to bagpipes. The Ukraine Europa issuance depicts the Cossack Mamai playing the kobza and symbolizes the singing soul of the Ukrainian people while the Czech Republic issuance depicts Bagpipes which are an ancient folk musical instrument. The kokle (or kuōkle) is a Latvian plucked string musical instrument (chordophone) of the zither family. It is similar in construction and origin to the Lithuanian kanklės, Russian gusli, and Estonian kannel.
The Post
Europa stamp offerings with the theme of The Post range from Letter Writing, Postmen, Postal Vans, Post Offices, to Ancient Postal Routes.
Europa 2020 celebrates the Ancient Postal Routes which were the primary way in ancient times of connecting together the peoples of differing cultures and geographies.
Nature and Conservation
The Europa stamp offerings of Nature and Conservation include themes of Wildlife and Forests, Nature Preserves and National Parks, Water and Scouting
Europa : Famous Women
issuances of Eastern Europe range from poets Elisavet of Bulgaria and Marie Under of Estonia to Cvijeta Zuzoric and Ivan Mazuranic writers of Croatia to Queen Gisela of Hungary to Madame Curie and Mother Teresa.
Europa: Festivals, Celebrations and Gastronomy
Festivals and National Celebrations, Souvenir Sheet issuance of Moldova represents the Martisor Music Festival while the stamp of Slovenia depicts Jurjevanje (Green George’s Festival). Moldova Europa: Festivals and National Celebrations features Eugene Ionesco biennial Theater Festival and Lurceni ceramics, Nisporeni with Croatia pair issuance highlighting Varazdin Baroque Evenings musical notes and Dubrovnik Summer Festival.
Hungary Europa Gastronomy stamp depicts a traditional plate of chicken paprika and dumplings while the Bosnia (Croat) pair depicts wine, garlic, ham, cheese and bread, grapes and nuts. The colorful stamp pair from Estonia shows of the food of the rainbow and a vegetable wrap made of tomato, carrots, egg yolk, parsley, fish, onion, beet.
Europa stamp issuances about children include Children’s Books and Old Toys.
Europa: Circus
Who can resist the Circus? Certainly philatelists of all ages cannot! We hope you enjoy these delightful Europa: Circus offerings from Countries “A to Y” as much as we do including the final classic souvenir sheet issued from the former Slavic Union of Yugoslavia.
Europa 1995: Peace and Freedom
The Greece stamp pair designs depicts the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of Concentration Camps and Peace doves dove flying above a broken barbed wire fence.
In anticipation of the Europa theme of Peace for 2023 : please join us in supporting the people of Ukraine and the Eastern European postal authorities currently issuing stamps in their support.
Here is the statement published by Post of Croatia in support of the stamp issuance.
“On 24 February 2022, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched an
unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. The Republic of Croatia strongly
condemned and reaffirmed its support for Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders, which is a fundamental determinant in the relations and cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and Ukraine.
On 25 February 2022, the Croatian Parliament adopted the Declaration on Ukraine, which expresses Croatia’s full solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people who are fighting to defend their country and calls for an end to Russia’s military aggression against the Ukrainian people and infrastructure and for the establishment of peace.”
“Stories and Myths”
This year’s Europa theme is “Stories and Myths” Here is a preview of a few of the 2022 issues.
The tale of the white horse is one of the myths and legends about how the land of Hungary was acquired dating from the time the Magyar tribes settled in the Carpathian Basin. The motif of the Croatia stamp is the mythological Tree of the World – an ancient Croatian myth about the structure of the universe. The Bosnia Herzegovina stamp depicts the Bogeyman, a creature from the mythology of the South Slavs who scares and kidnaps naughty children and takes them to her lair.
We hope you enjoyed our “cornucopia” of Europa stamp offerings and take a look at our full collection in our online store.
All of us at HSE wish you good health and a peaceful summer.
The Bauer Family