One of the oldest cultural institutions of the Serbian people that still exists today, the Serbian Reading Room “Laza Kostić” in Sombor, was founded on March 24, 1845. At the beginning, it had 72 founding members, and its first president was the Sombor parish priest Avram Maksimović. In the first decades of its existence, the Serbian Reading Room did not have its own building, but with the participation of the members of the Reading Room, voluntary contributions from Sombor Serbs and the help of the Orthodox Church Municipality in Sombor, a specific-purpose building was erected in 1882, today a building of exceptional cultural and historical significance for the city of Sombor and the Serbian people in general. In the period from 1901 to 1910, the president of the Serbian Reading Room was Laza Kostić, and after his death this institution bore his name. In 1908, the Constitution of the Sombor Serbian Reading Room was printed.

The premises of the Serbian Reading Room are adorned with 21 portraits of famous figures who, in different eras, contributed in various ways to the cultural, educational and spiritual development of the Serbian people. All of the portraits on display were painted and donated to the Reading Room by the painter Sava Stojkov, its honorary president.

After World War II, the Reading Room was stripped of the first part of its name in the new socialist state, so instead of the Serbian Reading Room, as it had been called for 112 years, it started to be called the “Laza Kostić” Reading Room as of 1957.

Today, the Reading Room in Sombor is once again called the Serbian Reading Room “Laza Kostić”, and its programmes, both 180 years ago and now, are closely connected to preserving the educational, cultural and spiritual identity of the Serbian people, nurturing traditions, customs, and the Serbian language and Cyrillic script.

Professional cooperation: Serbian Reading Room “Laza Kostić”, Sombor
Artistic realization of the issue: MA Anamari Banjac, academic painter

Technical details
Date of issue: 24. 03. 2025.
Number of stamps in set: 1
Denomination:
1375: 60.00 RSD
Printrun: 25.000
FDC: 1
Sheet of: 25
Dimensions of stamp: 33,4 x 35 mm
Artistic realization: Anamari Banjac
Subject: 180 years of the Serbian Reading Room “Laza Kostić”, Sombor
1375: Portrait of Laza Kostić and building of the Serbian Reading Room “Laza Kostić” in Sombor
Perforations: 13 3/4
Printer: Forum Novi Sad

The most important and greatest Christian holiday – the day of eternal joy, the Resurrection of Christ, is celebrated in memory of the day when Christ, the Son of God, defeated death.

Easter is a moving holiday, it is always celebrated on a Sunday, and the date is calculated based on the date of the full moon that preceded Christ´s Resurrection in 30 BC and can fall between 4 April and 8 May according to the Gregorian calendar, or between 22 March and 25 April according to the old Julian calendar. The decision to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ was made at the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325. The Orthodox Church celebrates Easter according to the Julian calendar.

Easter is preceded by a seven-week fast, and the last week before Easter is called the Great Week. Many folk customs are associated with this week, the most famous of which is the painting of eggs, which are painted on Great Friday. The first egg is painted red, and in many parts of our country this egg is called the “housekeeper” and is kept all year round, to guard the home until the next Easter. Painting and decorating eggs, which are actually a symbol of resurrection, is a custom that children certainly love the most. The Day of Christ’s Resurrection is marked by solemn liturgy in churches, and believers greet each other with the words: “Christ is risen!”, “Truly, He is risen!”

Children especially enjoy the most joyful Christian holiday, because the celebration of Easter is also a day of children’s joy, fun and games. In the past, children would get up early on Easter morning, wash themselves with water in which eggs had been soaked overnight and rub their cheeks with the “housekeeper” so that, according to belief, they would be healthy and rosy. Children spend Easter playing, looking for Easter eggs, gifts, chocolates and sweets hidden around the yard and house and giving each other coloured Easter eggs. Joyful Easter customs and cheerful children’s games are accompanied by appropriate songs, of which the most famous today is the one sung to the verses of Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović – “Christ is risen, and brings the joy!”.

Artistic realization of the issue: MA Nadežda Skočajić, Academic Graphic Artist

Technical details
Date of issue: 19. 03. 2025.
Number of stamps in set: 1
Denomination:
1374: 60.00 RSD
Printrun: 25.000
FDC: 1
Sheet of: 25
Dimensions of stamp: 31,9 x 42 mm
Artistic realization: Nadežda Skočajić
Subject: Easter
1374: Easter symbols
Perforations: 13 3/4
Printer: Forum Novi Sad

Military Academy Day is celebrated on March 18, commemorating the day when Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević, in 1850, signed the Act on the Establishment of the Artillery School – the first military higher education institution in Serbia, the traditions of which are today preserved by the Military Academy in Belgrade, a higher education and scientific research institution of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia.

The Military Academy, which has been educating officer staff for the needs of the Serbian Armed Forces for 175 years, is part of the higher education system of the Republic of Serbia, within which it has accredited study programmes for undergraduate, master's and doctoral academic studies. Education at the Military Academy is a complex process that combines education, military training and upbringing of future officers.

In its long history, the Military Academy has produced a pleiad of top intellectuals and experts, experienced military strategists of unbreakable moral strength, unwavering in the service of their homeland. Many of them were also successful scientists and commanders, military writers and professors, such as Academician Jovan Mišković, General, Minister and Military Reformer; Academician Jovan Dragašević, General, Military Writer and Poet, Professor at the Military Academy and the Great School; Academician Živko Pavlović, General, Commander and Intellectual, a Giant of Serbian military thought.

In the year of anniversary, we also proudly remember all the officers who demonstrated their abilities in the Balkan and World Wars, led by Field Marshals Radomir Putnik, Stepa Stepanović, Živojin Mišić and Petar Bojović.

A significant part of the credit for the defence of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from NATO aggression in 1999 belongs to the Military Academy, which educated an excellent staff of officers, and the battles at Košare and Paštrik, full of examples of the extraordinary sacrifice of our officers and soldiers, undoubtedly prove this. Throughout its existence, the Military Academy has provided Serbia with officers trained, ready and capable for their high calling – the defence of the homeland.

Professional cooperation: University of Defence, Military Academy Belgrade
Artistic realization: Nadežda Skočajić, Academic Graphic Artist

Каталошке информације
Датум издања: 18. 03. 2025.
Број марака: 1
1373: 60.00 дин
Printrun: 25.000
Коверат првог дана (FDC) са жигом: 1
Табак: 8
Димензија марке: 70 x 31,9 mm
Штампа: вишебојни офсет
Зупчање: чешљасто 13 3/4
Штампарија: Форум Нови Сад
Уметничка реализација: Надежда Скочајић
Нацрт: 1373 – Лево: детаљ акварела “Питомац Војне академије” из 1861. године, Академијски знак (1850-1880). Десно: свечана промоција нових официра Војске Србије, дипломаца Војне академије у Београду и лого Војне Академије, Универзитета одбране.

150 years of rational beekeeping in Serbia

Beekeeping is an activity of exceptional importance, not only for beekeepers and farmers, but also for the planet, because the bee is a key element in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem and preserving biodiversity and natural resources. The honey bee bred in Serbia is the so-called “domestic bee”, “western honey bee” or “Euro-African honey bee” (Apis mellifera L.).

Beekeeping has a long tradition in many cultures, and rational beekeeping is an approach to beekeeping based on increasing the efficiency of bee products production in accordance with bee health and the conservation of natural resources.

Professor Jovan Živanović (1841–1916) is considered to be the father of rational beekeeping in Serbia and the Balkans. He was born in Sremski Karlovci, where he completed elementary school and the Great Serbian Gymnasium, and after studying philology in Vienna, he was appointed as a professor of the Serbian language at the Karlovci Gymnasium.

For health reasons, he established an orchard near Karlovci, where, in 1875, he first encountered bees, introducing the first eight traditional wicker beehives. Instead of obtaining honey by suffocating bees, Professor Živanović, in search of new solutions, turned to innovation, so he contacted renowned beekeepers from Europe and the world and began to introduce advanced work technologies. He brought from Europe, but also constructed himself, the most modern equipment – the first beehive with movable frames – the so-called “American”, the Hruschka spinner for extracting honey, the first steam-powered wax melter and the first press for casting comb foundations in beehives.

Professor Jovan Živanović founded the second Department of Modern Beekeeping in Europe for students of the Karlovac Theological Seminary. He published a number of books and several magazines in the field of beekeeping, and in the vicinity of Karlovac he also arranged four apiaries with about 400 hives. With his work, he laid the foundations for the modernization of beekeeping in Serbia, making it more efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable in the long term, thus leaving a permanent mark on the improvement of beekeeping practice, both from a technical and ecological perspective.

Professional cooperation: Danica Radović, Publicist, Beekeeping Museum Sremski Karlovci
Artistic realisation of the issue: MA Marija Vlahovic, academic graphic artist

150 years since the discovery of the Serbian spruce

Serbian spruce (Picea omorika) is a species of spruce, endemic to the Balkan Peninsula and a Tertiary relic. This means that this plant can only be found in a specific, small area and that it has managed to survive since ancient times (it is estimated that Serbian spruce has existed for about 65 million years). Because of these characteristics, it is known as a “living fossil”.

It was named after Serbian scientist Josif Pančić (a Serbian physician, botanist, and first president of the Serbian Royal Academy), who discovered it on Mount Tara in 1875, near the village of Zaovine. The scientific name of spruce comes from the local name for this coniferous species. Before the Ice Age, this species was widespread in Europe, and today it grows naturally only on the Balkan Peninsula, in the area of the middle stream of the Drina River and in the canyon of the Mileševka River, i.e. in western Serbia and eastern Bosnia.

The largest population in Serbia is located within the Tara National Park, which is why Serbian spruce is considered the queen of this mountain, and its beautiful, slender and elegant crown, which distinguishes it from all other conifers, has earned it the title of “queen of conifers”.

Serbian spruce has been on the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 1998. It was initially listed as vulnerable, and unfortunately since 2010, it has been declared an endangered species. All Serbian spruce sites have been designated as nature reserves and are cared for by the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, and each individual Serbian spruce tree is under protection.

Expert collaboration: Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia
Artistic realisation of the issue: MA Marija Vlahovic, academic graphic artist

Technical details Date of issue: 05. 03. 2025.
Number of stamps in set: 2
Denomination:
1371: 60.00 RSD
1372: 120.00 RSD
Printrun: 15.000
FDC: 2
Sheet of: 8
Dimensions of stamp: 42 x 37,7 mm
Artistic realization: Marija Vlahović
Subject: European Nature Protection
1371: Jovan Živanović, the first beehive with movable frames – the so-called “American”, domestic bee (Apis mellifera L.).
1372: Josif Pančić, Serbian spruce (Picea omorika), the Tara National Park.
Perforations: 13 3/4
Printer: Forum Novi Sad

210 years since the Takovo Uprising

The Second Serbian Uprising is one of the most significant events in the process of creating the modern Serbian state in the 19th century. The uprising, the beginning of which was officially marked on the Palm Sunday, April 23, 1815 in Takovo, was the third and last in a series of armed movements within the Serbian Revolution (1804–1833). Its successful outcome created the foundations for negotiations with the Ottoman Empire, which were crowned a decade and a half later with the establishment of the autonomous Principality of Serbia.

The Takovo Uprising was prompted by the difficult living conditions of the Serbian population in the area of the Belgrade Pashalik in the years following the collapse of the First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813) and the failure of the Hadži Prodan’s Rebellion (1814). In response to the Ottoman violence, the national elders decided in the spring of 1815 to launch an uprising, led by the voivode and senior-chief Miloš Obrenović. After taking the ceremonial oath in front of the church log cabin in Takovo, the insurgents set off to battle. In the following weeks and months, a series of major battles followed, among which the battles of Čačak and Ljubić, the battles of Palež and Požarevac, and the Battle of Dublje stood out for their significance.

The rapid occupation of almost the entire territory of the Pashalik, excluding fortified cities, as well as the humane treatment of Turkish civilians and soldiers, enabled the Serbian leader Miloš to reach an oral agreement with the Turkish military commander Marashli Ali Pasha at the end of July 1815, which guaranteed the Serbs self-government in the Belgrade Pashalik. This agreement served as the basis for a long-standing diplomatic struggle for autonomy, which ended with the Sultan’s issuance of three hatt-i sharifs, in 1829, 1830, and 1833, by which Serbia acquired the status of a vassal principality of the Ottoman Empire.

190 years since the Sretenje Constitution

The first constitution of the Principality of Serbia was ceremonially proclaimed at the Great National Assembly in Kragujevac on Sretenje (the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple) – 15 February, 1835. Its adoption was the epilogue of long-term efforts to limit the personal power of Prince Miloš Obrenović and establish the foundations of a legal state in Serbia. The success of the so-called Mileta’s Rebellion, at the turn of 1834 and 1835, forced Prince Miloš to accelerate the process of adopting the constitution, the author of which was selected to be the Prince’s secretary, Dimitrije Davidović.

Davidović’s draft constitution in principle envisaged the division of power into legislative, executive and judicial branches. According to the letter of the constitution, legislative and executive power was divided between the Prince and the institution of the State Council, while judicial power was entrusted to independent courts, which had yet to be established. The constitution was also remembered for codifying general national rights and freedoms, such as equality before the law and the inviolability of person and property. A special civilizational step forward was represented by the constitutional articles that prohibited slavery in Serbia and abolished the last relics of feudalism.

Inspired by Belgian and French models, the first Serbian constitution seemed too liberal to its contemporaries, and it soon encountered resistance from the Great Powers. Due to the liberal principles it proclaimed, it was displeasing to the so-called old order powers, Austria and Russia, while Ottoman representatives saw it as an act of violating the Sultan’s sovereignty. As a result, this “French seedling in the Turkish forest”, as the travel writer Cyprien Robert called it, was abolished 55 days after its adoption. Three years later, it was succeeded by a much more conservative, so-called Turkish constitution, adopted with the consent of the Turkish Sultan and under the patronage of the Russian Emperor.

Стручна сарадња: Борис Марковић, кустос историчар Историјског музеја Србије
Artistic realization of the issue: MA Jakša Vlahović, academic graphic artist

Technical details
Date of issue: 12. 02. 2025.
Number of stamps in set: 2
Denomination:
1369: 60.00 RSD
1370: 60.00 RSD
Printrun: 15.000
FDC: 2
Sheet of: 10
Dimensions of stamp: 31,9 x 42 mm
Artistic realization: Jakša Vlahović
Subject: The state-building path of Serbia
1369: Miloš Obrenović with flag of Takovo uprising, the wooden church in Takovo dedicated to Saint George, 1795.
1370: Dimitrije Davidović, front page of the Sretenje Constitution, Sretenje flag Perforations: 13 3/4
Printer: Forum Novi Sad

Chinese culture, thousands of years old, has given the world and humanity a precious cultural heritage and spiritual wealth. The Chinese horoscope is one of the oldest known horoscopes, including the mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. They correspond to twelve astrological branches, with a twelve-year cycle. In addition to the Chinese horoscope, the elements are also very important: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. The personality traits of a person are often closely associated with the characteristics of the Chinese horoscope linked to their birth year.

The year 2025 will be the year of the Wood Snake. The Snake is known for its enigmatic and introspective nature, analytical mind, and ability to deal with complex situations, and heralds a year full of opportunities for financial growth and new romances.

The Chinese Lunar year of the Wood Snake begins on January 29, 2025, marking the beginning of the fifteen-day Spring Festival celebrated by Chinese people around the world.

The material for the realization of the commemorative postage stamp was provided by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China. Professional cooperation: Chinese Cultural Center in Belgrade. Graphic realization: Nadežda Skočajić, Academic Graphic Artist

Technical details .
Date of issue: 28. 01. 2025..
Number of stamps in set: 1.
Denomination:.
1363: 120.00 RSD.
Printrun: 25.000.
FDC: 1.
Sheet of: 10.
Dimensions of stamp: 31,9 x 42 mm.
Artistic realization: Nadežda Skočajić.
Subject: Chinese Tradition: Lunar Horoscope – Year of the Snake.
1362: Snake, Chinese zodiac sign for 2025 Perforations: 13 3/4.
Printer: Forum Novi Sad