Magyar Posta is issuing a special souvenir sheet to commemorate the bicentenary of the foundation of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The souvenir sheets and the associated philatelic products were designed by the graphic artist Glória Hefelle. The souvenir sheets were produced by Pénzjegynyomda Zrt. The new issue will be available at first day post offices and Filaposta in Hungary from 5 November 2025, but may also be ordered from Magyar Posta’s online store. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences was founded by Count István Széchenyi on 3 November 1825, when he donated a year’s income from his estates for the advancement of science and art. This was not merely the birth of an institution, but also of a national scientific community, whose purpose was to foster and strengthen the Hungarian language and culture through academic endeavour. In the 19th century, the Academy’s mission was to organise scientific life, to create specialist terminology in Hungarian and to build a research community. During the two world wars and the political changes, it sought to preserve its autonomy and international relations. The Academy has always played an important role in promoting scientific research and making knowledge accessible to society. It continued to be one of the most important organisers of scientific life in the second half of the 20th century. Two centuries of existence have made it a symbol of knowledge, national identity and forward-looking thinking. To mark the bicentenary, the Academy will hold a series of national events in 2025 and 2026, which Parliament has declared “The Year of Hungarian Science”. The commemorative events include a celebratory general assembly, a conference entitled “Chapters from the 200-year history of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences” and the inauguration of the engraved stone timeline set in the paving of Széchenyi Square entitled “Boundless History”. The bicentennial celebrations include portrait series, volumes of scientific studies and international symposia that recall the institution’s past and promote its mission for the future. Source: www.mta200.hu The frame of the souvenir sheet shows a section of the façade of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The stamp features Johann Nepomuk Ender’s painting entitled “Allegory of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences”, which has become the symbolic emblem of the institution, embodying the Academy’s mission to nurture national culture, education and science. The commemorative first day cover for the souvenir sheet depicts the main entrance of the building and the postmark portrays the founder, Count István Széchenyi. In addition to the standard, black-numbered edition, a red-numbered imperforated and a green-numbered specially perforated edition of the souvenir sheet and an exclusive stamp set have been issued. Alongside the three editions of the souvenir sheet, the stamp set also contains a monochrome version, which can only be purchased as part of the set. The souvenir sheets and the monochrome print in the set are protected in mounts. All the editions in each of the 1,000 sets issued bear the same serial number in the number range between 1 and 1,000. The standard edition as well as the red- and green-numbered souvenir sheets from the number range above 1,000 are also available for sale outside the set. The monochrome print cannot be used to pay for the postage of letter-mail items.