Czeslaw Slania worked for the Polish Postal Authorities for 6 years until 1956 where he left Poland and settled in Sweden. Since his departure he did not work for Poland again until 1993.
31.08.1950. Peace Conference (Worker with Peace Dove). This is Slania’s first work as an apprentice, and he was allowed to engrave the metal part of the hammer under strict surveillance of M.R. Polak, the latter’s name appearing in the stamp’s lower right corner.
24.03.1951. Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Paris Commune. The portrait should have shown General Jaroslaw Dabrowski, but shows by mistake the composer and pianist Henryk Dabrowski. This is the first stamp ever published, fully engraved by Czeslaw Slania.
- 25.06.1951. First Congress of Polish Science. At he left Portraits show Zygmunt Wroblewski (1845-1888) and Karol Olszewski (1846-1915). At the right Scientist Marceli Nencki (1847-1901), Pole Chemist.
- 22.07.1951. Seven years of the Peoples Republic. President Bierut.
04.12.1951. Six Year Plan for Coal Mining Industry. This stamp comes in three values, 90 gr., 1,20 zl., and a semi-postal of 1,20 zl. + 0,15 gr., the latter two not shown here.
18.01.1952. Tenth anniversary of the Polish Workers Association. Marceli Nowotko (1893-1942)
28.03.1952. Fifth death anniversary of General K. Swierczewsky-Walter. Note that these stamps give a wrong year for his birth.
- 05.06.1952. Centenary of death of the Russian Poet Nicolai Gogol. Slania has engraved the name «Lala», referring to a girlfriend.
- 10.04.1952. Airmail Set. From a set of four, Slania engraved these two, also exist imperforated. At the left, an airplane «Ilyushin» flying over Polish freighters. At the right an airplane over Warszaw. This stamp contains some «jokes» by Slania: over the tree tops Slania engraved his sister’s family name (Majewska), and along the left border (read upside down) the name «Lilka», referring to a girl friend.
- 01.06.1952. International Childrens’ Day. President Bierut. Slania’s signature does not appear on this stamp.
- 17.06.1952. Concrete Factory Wierzbica.
- 28.06.1952. Docker´s Day. Training ship «Dar Pomorza».
31.07.1952. Left and right. 70th anniversary of the Workers’ Organization «Proletariat». Portrait shows Ludwik Warynski (1856-1889) as the organizer of the party.
23.08.1952. Aviation´s Day. This stamp was awarded in 1954 with Gold Medal by the Organizzazione Antoni Bernadi (More beautiful stamp of Sport Topical).
07.08.1952. New Electricity Plant Jaworzno.
01.09.1952. Birth Millenary of Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (980-1037), a Persian physician and philosopher.
01.09.1952. 150th birth anniversary of the French writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885).
25.10.1952. 150th birth anniversary of Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916). In 1905 Henryk Sienkiewicz was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.
12.12.1952. Automobile Factory in Zeran. The person in the lower right corner mounting the wheel is Slania, who has portrayed himself on this stamp as a mechanic.
- 20.02.1953. Six Year Plan. Factory of cars in Zeran.
- 10.10.1953. X anniversary of the Polish People’s Army. Lieutenant Roman Pazinski (1907-1943). Printed in lithography.
- 10.11.1953. Renaissance Year. Courtyard of the Royal Palace Wawel in Krakow. Slania engraved the name of a family member on this stamp, «Pilch».
- 06.07.1956. Courtyard of the Royal Palace Wawel in Krakow, overprinted.
- 13.07.1954. Airmail Set. Airplane Ilyushinover historic buildings. Not all stamps of this set were engraved by Slania, but all were designed by him. In the selvedge can be read his name, at the left as designer only and as the right as engraver. Other engravers were Miller and Brandt. Buildings are, from left to right: Paczkow Castle (Luban), Kazimierz Dolny, Wavel Castle (Krakow), City Hall (Wroclaw), Laziersky Square (Warsaw) and Krakow Gate (Lublin).
- 16.10.1954. 500th anniversary of the ceding of Western Prussia to Poland. Exists also imperf. City of Olsztyn.
- 22.12.1954. Endangered wildlife of Poland. Eurasian Beaver. This stamp exists also in an imperf variety.
- 30.11.1954. 160th anniversary of the Kosciuszko Uprising. Tadeusz Kosziuszko after the battle at Raclawice, original painting by Jan Matejko.
Slania engraved date and some names of familiars in the stamp: date 1-X-54 (when finished the plate), Majewska (his sister) and Lodzia (familiar name of Leokadia, his sister).
- 30.12.1954. 10th anniversary of the Second Republic in Liberated Poland. From a set of ten stamps, Slania engraved this two. At the right, the freighter ship «Soldek» in the port. At the right the stamps «At the library», where Slania engraved a lot of names of friends and family members in the frames of wall, see the enlarged images:
From the top, left side:
– His mother’s name, Jozefa Slania.
– Herwich, the supreme of the printing office of the Polish Postal Ministry.
– His cousin and girl friend from college, Danuta Drabarek.
– Potop: maybe the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz or maybe the symbol of Swedish and Russian invasion and occupation of the Poland.
– Jadwiga Przygodzka, a family member.
From the top, right side:
– His cousin, Maria Majewska.
– Pan Tadeusz is the title of a famous Polish novel.
- 22.02.1955. V International Chopin Piano Competition. Portrait of Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), after L. Isler. These stamps were included in a conmemorative folder with a portrait of Chopin by Delacroix engraved by Slania in the front.
- 31.03.1955. Sights of Warsaw. Statue of Nicolas Copernicus (by the Danish Sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, 1770-1844).
- 10.07.1956. Sights of Warsaw. Heroes from the Ghetto of Warsav.
Above this line can be seen some proof prints of previous types overprinted «Proba».
Conmemorative folder with a portrait of Chopin by Delacroix engraved by Slania in the front.
02.11.1956. Olympic Summer Games in Melbourne. Javelin Throwing. The athlete’s name is Janusz Sidlo. The stamp is engraved after a photo of the athlete. The stamp is out of a set of six, of which Slania engraved this one.
07.05.1993. International Stamp Exhibition POLSKA ’93, Poznan. Legend of the White Eagle in the first Polish capital Gniezno. This block exists also Imperfed, as well as there is a numbered proof overprinted «Proba» in red colour.
23.04.1997. Milenary of the death of St. Adalbert, stamp at the right.
19.04.1997. Milenary of the death of Stanislaw Wojciech (Bishop of Warsaw 956-997), stamps in the middle and at the left.
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- 14.08.1999. National Stamp Exhibition in Waldenburg. Castle Ksiaz. Perf and Imperf varieties. It is interesting that this block is denoted as Slania’s 1001th stamp. It was issued for the National Polish Stamp Exhibition in Waldenburg in 1999, whereas Slania’s 1000th stamp «Great Deeds of the Swedish Kings» was issued one year later by Sweden.
03.10.1998. 400th anniversary of the Battle at Stängebro. Sigismund III Wasa (1566-1632). Painting by Peter Paul Rubens. King of Sweden 1592-1599 and Poland 1587-1632. Joint issue with Sweden. Posten (Sweden Post) send as gift to subscribers a black print of this stamp.
17.10.1999. 150th death anniversary of Frederic Chopin, Polish pianist and composer (1810-1849), original portrait by G. Sand and on the background of The Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw.
- 09.05.2000 . John Paul II’s 80th birthday. Joint issue with Vatican City. According to Slania, he made separate plates for both countries, because they are printed from different printing presses. The Vatican issues are printed by Swedish Post and Poland by Polish Post. Both issues have slighty differences. From left to right:
- Johannes Paulus II. Stamp has a less deep engraving than the Vatican city.
- Our Lady of Czestochowa. Stamps is more contrasted than the monochrome Vatican issue.
- Pastoral Staff. Stamp has a criss-crossed background, while it is diagonal in Vatican issue.
- 26.05.2000. Krakow, Cultural Capital of Europe. Perf and Imperf Block. Original image: a woodcut dated in 1493 by Hartmann Schedel.
- 23.05.2002. 160th anniversary of birth of Maria Konopnicka, Pole writer.
- 16.08.2002. Seventh visit of Pope Johannes Paulus II to Poland. A set of 3 stamps were issued, only this by Slania.
Wawel Castle is a fortified architectural complex erected over many centuries atop a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula river in Kraków, at an altitude of 228 metres above sea level.
The complex consists of many buildings and fortifications; the largest and best known of these are the Royal Castle and the Wawel Cathedral which is the Basilica of St Stanisław and St Wacław). Some of Wawel’s oldest stone buildings, such as the Rotunda of the Virgin Mary can be dated to 970AD. There are also wooden parts of the complex which date to about the 9th century.The castle itself has been described as «one of the most fascinating of all European castles.» (source: Wikipedia).