Petar II Petrović Njegoš (November 1, 1813 – October 19, 1851) was an Orthodox Montenegrin and Highland Prince-Bishop and head of Old Montenegro and Highland from 1830 to 1851. He was one of the greatest poets and philosophers of this region.

Njegoš was a charismatic and striking historical figure, but at the same time he was also a deeply enlightened and thought-provoking figure, which is evidenced primarily by his literary work. Respected as a ruler, he is best remembered as the author of the epic poem "The Mountain Wreath", which is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of European and world literature.

He was born in the village of Njeguši, near Cetinje, and after the death of his Uncle Petar I, he became the spiritual and secular leader of Montenegro.

He worked for the unification of Montenegrin tribes and the establishment of a centralized state. He introduced regular taxes, and his reign was marked by efforts to expand the territory of Montenegro.

He collected folk songs, which he published in the collection "The Serbian Mirror". A considerable number of his shorter poems, odes and epistles were published in the periodicals of that time. Although he had no formal schooling, through reading and reflection, Njegoš developed spiritually and shaped his artistic expression more deeply and completely, so in the last seven years of his life he created three of his most important pieces: "The Ray of the Microcosm", "The Mountain Wreath" and "False Tsar Šćepan the Little". His works have been translated into several languages, including Japanese.

Petar II Petrović Njegoš died in 1851. He was buried in Lovćen at the place where the Mausoleum designed by Ivan Meštrović is located today.

Stamp motif: Portrait of Njegoš, Petar Lubarda, 1940s, dimensions 96 x 80 cm, oil on canvas, private collection

Motif on the vignettes and on the envelope: Mausoleum of NJegoš on Lovćen designed by Ivan Meštrović , Miroslav Nikolić

Professional cooperation: Association of Writers of Serbia

Graphic realization of the issue: Nadežda Skočajić, academic graphic designer

Serbia and Germany established official relations shortly after the Berlin Congress in 1871. The first agreements between the two countries were concluded in January 1883 – the Trade Agreement and the Consular Convention. After the conclusion of these agreements, the first investments of German capital in the Serbian economy began, primarily in mining and industry. Economic relations between the two countries, insignificant in the first decades, experienced expansion during the Customs War between Austria-Hungary and Serbia (1906–1912), when the German market became an alternative to the Austrian market for a large part of Serbian exports. By 1914, 10 agreements were concluded between Serbia and Germany, primarily with the aim of further improving trade and consular relations.

It is interesting that Serbia, even before signing the first official agreement with Germany in 1883, already had an agreement with one German state, Bavaria, with which Serbia concluded a Consular convention on August 25, 1870, even before gaining formal independence.

Expert collaboration: Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Germany

Artistic realization of the issue: Miroslav Nikolić and Nadežda Skočajić, Academic Graphic Artist

Nadežda Petrović (Čačak, October 11, 1873 – military hospital near Valjevo, April 3, 1915) comes from distinguished families important for Serbian history. Educated as a painter in Belgrade under Đorđe Krstić and Kiril Kutlik, and then in Munich under Anton Ažbe and Julius Exter, she was a pioneer of modern art, a drawing teacher at the Higher Women’s School in Belgrade, an art critic, the author of a theatre play, one of the founders of the Circle of Serbian Sisters, the Serbian Art Association and the Paris League for the National Rights of Oppressed Peoples, the first Serbian woman to be engaged in photography. She organized the work (1905) and exhibition (1907) of the Yugoslav Art Colony.

She stayed in Rome (1907) and Paris (1910-1912), followed the Venice Biennale and other prestigious art exhibitions in Europe. She exhibited independently and at joint art reviews in our country and around the world. She brought aid to peoples under Turkish occupation and led protests against the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1908). She spoke about the rights of Serbs and other enslaved Slavic peoples at meetings in our country and, thanks to her knowledge of French, German and Russian, abroad as well. She was a volunteer nurse in the Balkan Wars and the First World War. She reached the top in everything she passionately devoted herself to. Her works are the pride of our most prestigious museums, galleries and private collections. Her work belongs to the movements of Art Nouveau, Symbolism, Expressionism, Impressionism and Fauvism, and in a certain way Abstract Art. Educated and gifted, with clearly expressed views of an artist, intellectual and humanist, she managed to remain herself and belong to everyone. 

To make our sorrow over the bad fate of Nadežda Petrović, an unsurpassed painter and unsurpassed patriot, i.e. over the fact that she died in the tension of her creative powers, even greater, and for the Serbian history of art an irreparable loss, this selection of paintings, with which the Post of Serbia marks the 150^th anniversary of her birth, convincingly testifies to its artistic values. These are masterpieces in every respect, executed in an impressive drawing style, colourfully ringing, pictorially juicy, expressionistically strong and convincing, with strokes that, with their immediacy, freedom and freshness, confirm the artist who poured her soul into her work.

Motifs on stamps: Red house in the countryside (1907); The facade of the Church of St. Mark in Venice (1914); Red Peonies (1913). Motives on the vignettes: Prizren (1913); Anđa in the yard (1910–1911); Landscape (1907); Shepherd plays the fife (1906). Motifs on the envelopes: Cleaning caterpillars (1906); Portrait of Jovan Skerlić (1907); Sisters (1905).

Expert collaboration: Ljubica Miljković and Nikola Kusovac

Graphic realization of the issue: Nadežda Skočajić, academic graphic designer

From August 11 to 26, 1923, the First Novi Sad Exhibition was held, which marked the beginning of organizing fair events in Novi Sad and is considered the first in the existence of the Novi Sad Fair. 

Until 1939, exhibitions were held at the old Fairgrounds in Šumadijska street, and the jubilee, 10^th fair and exhibition were opened in 1940, at a new location, in today´s Hajduk Veljkova Street, where the Fair is still located today.

After the end of the Second World War, with the aim of restoring agricultural production, in 1948 the First Agricultural Exhibition was held in Novi Sad, which very quickly became the trademark of the Novi Sad Fair. 

Over the decades, the Agricultural Fair has gained exceptional fame and international reputation. With the construction of the ”Master“ Congress Centre, started in 2001 and opened in 2006, the Novi Sad Fair created the conditions for organizing modern fairs, with an emphasis on service business.

On an area of 226,000 square meters, of which 60,000 square meters are pavilions, with around 20 events and 500,000 visitors a year, the Novi Sad Fair has been the best representative of Novi Sad, Vojvodina and Serbia for a whole century, promoting the greatest achievements in agro-industry, hunting, energy, sports, tourism. The International Agricultural Fair has become the agribusiness event of the region, with the largest and longest fair tradition.

Expert collaboration: Novi Sad Fair

Artistic realization of the issue: Miroslav Nikolić

This year marks the 200^th anniversary of the first arrival of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić in Germany. Apart from this significant jubilee, which marks one of the most important turning points in the cultural and social ties of modern Serbia with Europe, the issue also celebrates the concrete ties between Serbia and Germany and the Serbian and German people. By accepting Vuk, his language reforms and high appreciation of the Serbian folk art collected by Vuk, 200 years ago Germany became the first and most important ambassador and friend of Serbian culture and the Serbian people in Europe.

Vuk Karadžić, the creator of the modern Serbian language, philologist, writer and anthropologist, based his work on modernizing spelling and orthography on the orthographic principle of the German linguist Johann Christoph Adelung – "write as you speak, and read as it is written". 

The support for Vuk's life's work provided by the poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe and the Grimm brothers testifies to the strong cultural and friendly ties between the two peoples in the era of the creation of modern European states, and the traditional great respect between the Serbian and German people, even through all the turbulent historical moments is a pledge for a new era of sincere friendly relations and exceptional cooperation in the 21^st century.

Motif on the stamp and on the vignettes: "Apotheosis of Vuk Karadžić", Pavle Paja Jovanović, 1897, oil on canvas, private collection. Motifs on the vignettes and the sheets: The degree of Doctor of Philosophy that Vuk received from the University of Jena, the cover pages of "Serbian Folk Songs" translated by Therese von Jakob, printed in Halle and Leipzig in 1833 and 1853, the emblem of the University of Leipzig, the university building and double seal of "Martin Luther" University in Halle. In the background of the sheets: a letter from Therese von Jakob to Vuk Karadžić from Halle in 1824, in which she writes to him about her translations of Serbian folk songs, the prescriptions that Vuk received from German doctors in 1823, and a letter in which Vuk thanks the Royal Learned Society in Göttingen for the honour shown (SASA Archive, Belgrade). Motif on the envelope: the logo and the building of the University of Jena, in the background the Doctor of Philosophy degree that Vuk obtained from the University of Jena.

Professional cooperation: Association of Writers of Serbia

Graphic realization of the issue: Nadežda Skočajić, academic graphic designer

2023 marks the 185^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Serbia. The opening of the Russian consulate in Serbia in 1838 is an important link in the history of relations between our countries, which over the centuries, despite episodes of strong cooperation, were limited by temporary missions.

One of such distinct pages of shared history is dedicated to the famous Serb from Herzegovina – Sava Vladislavić Raguzinski (1669–1738), counselor to Peter the Great, founder of the diplomatic service of the Russian Empire, a person who had a great influence on the further development of the foreign policy principles of the largest Orthodox monarchy in history, among whom the support of Slavic coreligionists in the Balkans always had a special place.

Among the Russian diplomats who worked in Serbia right after the establishment of diplomatic relations, the first consul in Kosovska Mitrovica, who should be highlighted, Grigoriy Shcherbina (1868–1903), earned great respect among the Serbs with his self-sacrificing work and tragically died as a result of an attack by an Albanian fanatic. In his will, the Russian consul pointed out: "Serbs in Kosovo should be protected, because Kosovo is Serbian."

Expert collaboration: The Russian House in Belgrade, Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Serbia

Artistic realization of the issue: Boban Savić MA, academic painter