“What I like about Romania is its timeless, remarkable character, that is like in the stories one was read as a child. It is like going back in time… Generally, people wish to be part of, to identify with nature. The human cultural system is very important, being the one in direct connection to it. Such a feeling is inside us, but we are denying it, we are pushing it away, we are trying to convince ourselves it does not matter, that it is irrelevant. But it is not at all irrelevant. It nourishes the soul and the heart. That is what Romania ultimately does to one.”(HRH Prince Charles of Great Britain)
Revealing the beauty of Romanian lands, Romfilatelia invites you, through a new postage stamp issue, to discover the uniqueness and greatness of Transylvania. Surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, the “land beyond the forests” became the theme of the philatelic issue Discover Romania – Transylvania.
The territory of Transylvania, inhabited over time by numerous people, today harmoniously combines the characteristics of different cultures and civilizations that lived there. HRH Prince Charles of Great Britain himself admires this region for the traditions kept there from ancient times, the affection to the past, the respect for keeping the historical inheritances and the spirituality.
The stamps of the issue carry the viewer on a journey through Transylvania, its past full of history, the particular beauty of the areas, the natural treasures, all providing to everyone entering this world a unique image of the nature and spirituality of the people from these places.
The stamp with the face value of lei 3.30 depicts the Fortified Church from Viscri, Brasov County, one of the Saxon establishments from the southern area of Transylvania. The uniqueness of the church is represented by its architectural double use, for both the religious services and the defence in case of danger. Its particular architectural and cultural value has entailed its inclusion in 1999 on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The stamp with the face value of lei 3.60 illustrates the guest house from Valea Zalanului, Covasna County, arranged starting with 2008, when Prince Charles of Great Britain purchased here an estate. Ever since 1998, when His Royal Highness visited Transylvania for the first time, he was deeply impressed by its landscape and culture, appreciating this place’s inhabitants way of living.
The stamp with the face value of lei 4.30 presents a landscape frame from Hosman, Sibiu County, where nature and history merge in exceptional harmony, a proof of the beauty of the Transylvania region.
The stamp with the face value of lei 5.00 illustrates the Saint Mihail Church, one of the representative edifices of Cluj-Napoca, city which has been for many centuries an important economic and cultural centre of Transylvania. The church impresses by the balance of proportions and the harmonious, aerated inner space, a representative feature of the Transylvanian Gothic art.
The philatelic album is created into a limited edition of 400 pcs. and is equipped with the perforated souvenir sheet of 4 postage stamps of the issue, numbered from 001 to 400, having graphic elements in gold foiling and a set of 4 maxicards, equipped with the postage stamps of the issue and cancelled with the “first day” postmark.
