Poland: Stalinogrod. The King is dead, long live the King
Oct 10, 2021 13:45:25 GMT
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Post by ameis33 on Oct 10, 2021 13:45:25 GMT
March 5, 1953. After 74 years and two world wars on his shoulders, Josif Stalin died in Moscow. May he rest in peace.
Stalin's death was an event too important to pass unnoticed. And so, on March 7, 1953, in Poland, under the Moscow's pressure, it was decided to change the name of the city of Katowice to Stalinogród (City of Stalin) and of the voivodeship of Katowice to Stalinogród voivodeship. The decision was made suddenly, regardless of all such a decision involved: change of documents, of car plates etc. Even people arriving by train no longer recognized the station where they had to get off... From this point of view, the change of name has really been a spectacular event.
Katowice is not the only example of a large city to have changed its name. Indeed, it was a consolidated practice of that years, just think of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in Russia and Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) in East Germany.
But the change was never accepted by the population and after only three years, when Stalin's memory began to fade and the Party to take distance from the cult of personalities, the Polish authorities decided to came back to the old name of Katowice. Unofficially, the new-old name began to be used already in the autumn of 1956, but the official change took a little longer than in 1953. On 21 October 1956 there was a first resolution of the National Council and on 10 December 1956 the decree of the council of state.
The three years of Stalinogród, from a philatelic and postal history point of view, have left their sign on postal cancellations. Three years is a relatively small period, but still large for the amount of correspondence traveled, even considering that Katowice is a big city. Letters or stamps canceled in that years cannot be defined as "rare". But they are still witnesses of an historical event and a little curiosity that can be found inside an accumulation which you can cross on your way.
Stalin's death was an event too important to pass unnoticed. And so, on March 7, 1953, in Poland, under the Moscow's pressure, it was decided to change the name of the city of Katowice to Stalinogród (City of Stalin) and of the voivodeship of Katowice to Stalinogród voivodeship. The decision was made suddenly, regardless of all such a decision involved: change of documents, of car plates etc. Even people arriving by train no longer recognized the station where they had to get off... From this point of view, the change of name has really been a spectacular event.
Katowice is not the only example of a large city to have changed its name. Indeed, it was a consolidated practice of that years, just think of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in Russia and Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) in East Germany.
But the change was never accepted by the population and after only three years, when Stalin's memory began to fade and the Party to take distance from the cult of personalities, the Polish authorities decided to came back to the old name of Katowice. Unofficially, the new-old name began to be used already in the autumn of 1956, but the official change took a little longer than in 1953. On 21 October 1956 there was a first resolution of the National Council and on 10 December 1956 the decree of the council of state.
The three years of Stalinogród, from a philatelic and postal history point of view, have left their sign on postal cancellations. Three years is a relatively small period, but still large for the amount of correspondence traveled, even considering that Katowice is a big city. Letters or stamps canceled in that years cannot be defined as "rare". But they are still witnesses of an historical event and a little curiosity that can be found inside an accumulation which you can cross on your way.
By my side, that's what i could find.