600th anniversary of Belovezhskaya Puscha reserve status

On October 3, 2009 the Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus will issue a souvenir sheet “600th anniversary of Belovezhskaya Puscha reserve status”.

Designers: Oksana Suzko & Ivan Lukin. Printing: offset. Colour: multicoloured. Paper: chalk-surfaced, gummed. Perforation: comb 14: 14^1/4. There are 3 stamps in the souvenir sheet. Size of the stamps: 40x28 mm. Size of the souvenir sheet: 142,2x59,5 mm. Print quantity: 20.000 souvenir sheets.

There are elements of protection on the stamps.

Historical reference: The Belovezhskaya Puscha national park is located on the territory of Kamenets & Pruzhany districts of Brest region and Svisloch district of Grodno region. The administrative centre of the national park is in Kameniuki village of Kamenets district. The state national park “Belovezhskaya Puscha” of Belarus forms a single nature reserve with Poland’s Belovezhski National Park.

The first records about the intact wood on the territory of the present Belovezhskaya Puscha were made by Gerodot in the 5th century B. C.  It was also mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicles in 983. At the end of the 14th century Lithuanian Prince Yagailo proclaimed these lands a reserve. He put a veto upon hunting in Belovezhskaya Puscha. Since 1588 the felling of trees was also forbidden there.

In 1992 UNESCO put Belovezhskaya Puscha on its World Heritage List. In 1993 the park acquired the status of a biosphere reserve, and in 1998 — the status of the key international ornithological area. In 1997 Belovezhskaya Puscha was awarded with a diploma of the Council of Europe for an immense contribution to environment protection.

Belovezhskaya Puscha is one of the oldest nature reserves in the world. In 2009 the Belovezhskaya Puscha National Park marks the 600th anniversary of its reserve status. This date is put into the List of memorable dates of UNESCO. It shows that the reservation of this ancient wood is of great importance not only in our republic but also in the whole world.

 

 

No. 796

Deer

No. 797

Aurochs

No. 798

Wild boars

A special cancellation on FDC will be carried out at the post office of Kameniuki village, Kaments district, Brest region on the souvenir sheet issuing day.