Esfahan-The City of Polish Children

11 July 2008 - World Poupulation Day
A healthy and stable population is vital for the growth of a nation.

Today is World Population Day. I have selected above stamp for this special day. It was issued by India in the year 1974 to commemorate World Population Year. In the next part of this post I have a beautiful stamp from my most favourite Postal Administration in the world, Poland. The stamp was issued on 10th June to commemorate the dramatic, sad and nearly forgotten in the face of the main events of World War II, fates of the Polish orphan children and yet somehow beneficial because of the aid, granted by the Persian citizens and authorities. The stamp features a portrait of one of those rescued children, Przemek Stojakowski, in front of the Persian carpet with Polish eagle motif in center. This very carpet has been woven in 1944 by the Polish girls from the Esfahan School of Weaving. On the FDC envelope an ornament from the typical Esfahan architectural detail stands next to the list of names of the Polish children exiles to Iran.

Date of Issue : 10 June 2008

Esfahan - the City of Polish Children
EsfahanThe city in central Iran by the foot of the Zagros Mountains, between the end of the 16th and the half of the 18th centuries the capital city of Persia. The great center of manufactures, famous of its beautiful carpets, metal wares and ceramics (decorative tiles and mosaics). Its architectural remains (palaces and bridges) from the period of Safawid dynasty are also the real attractions for tourists.

The Polish - Iranian Contacts
Although Iran (formerly Persia) is a far away country, since renaissance the Polish rulers tried to establish the closer military ties with Persian shahs, in particular to enter with them into alliance against Turkey. Those plans, however, had never came into realization but at least they helped to develop quite animated trade exchange, and indeed, the Persian carpets and weapons were truly worthy of royal treasuries.Moreover, the Polish missionaries used to be active in Persia, and in the 19th century many of Polish emigrants: scientists, engineers, doctors and officers have found their homes in that country; in 1926 the Association of Poles in Persia "Polonia" has been established in Tehran.

The Period of World War II

During the World War II to Iran together with the created in the USSR Gen. W. Anders' army have come thousands of exiles, including great number of little children, mostly orphans from the former Polish eastern territories. For some 13 000 of them who had not died of emaciation or illnesses that country became for a few years their temporary home and most of all a refuge to survive the war-time. In Esfahan the years 1942-1945 have spent 2590 Polish children below 7, for whom were arranged various educational institutions, such as nurseries and primary schools, and even a sanatorium. By the end of the war the children had been evacuated in groups together with their protectors to many different countries: New Zealand, Lebanon, India, Mexico, Palestine, or British African colonies, from where most of them have never come back again to their homeland.