Smolensk is one of the first cities of the Ancient Rus’. In the dated part according to the Ustyuzhensky (Arhangelogorodsky) chronicle, it occurred at 863 when Ascold and Dir have passed it by in the campaign from Novgorod to Tzargrad as Smolensk was very well fortified and there were a lot of people. In 882 Prince Oleg captured and annexed it to the Kievan Rus’. The postage stamp depicts Smolensk fortified wall and coat of arms of Smolensk. On the souvenir sheets’s margins there is a composition illustrated separate periods of Smolensk history such as the city’s foundation and a fragment of a wooden fortified wall at the end of XVI century – the beginning of XVII; Smolensk battle of the Patriotic war of 1812 and a flag of the 630th regiment of the 107th rifle division; a state flag of the Russian Federation and a festive parade on the backgrounds of contemporary architectural buildings: railway station “Smolensk-Centralny” and a house.
The artistic cover is prepared for the issue – there is a souvenir sheet and FDCs with cancellation inside of it.
Artist-designer: S. Ulyanovsky.
Face value: 50 rub.
Size of souvenir sheet: 130х75 mm; size of stamp: 42х30 mm.
Circulation: 80 thousand copies.
« back