MARE BALTICUM 2003 - Kiel, GERMANY
On three days, from May 23rd to 25th, 2003, the international stamp exhibition MARE BALTICUM took place in Kiel with participants from the 9 Baltic Sea states (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany). This rank 1 competitive exhibition in the Ostseehalle was accompanied by the Kiel postage stamp exhibition KIEL ’03 as a national rank 1 exhibition. Over 1,500 exhibition frames from more than 230 collectors from all over Europe were evaluated by two international juries. There was also an open class that was judged by the public. Various delicacies in a treasury delighted many stamp collectors.
Around 5,000 visitors and participants came to the Ostseehalle, a sports hall with 12,000 seats.
The Association of German Philatelists e.V. (BDPh e.V.) commissioned the Kiel Philatelists Association of 1931 e.V. with the organization. The chairman of the association, Michael Bergmann, managed to win over Deutsche Post, a dozen foreign postal administrations, auction houses, working groups as well as over 50 specialist dealers and the specialist press for the supporting program.
In addition to the two major exhibitions, the “104. German Philatelist Day”. The ceremony took place on Sunday, May 25th in Kiel Castle.
The entire event was under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Ms. Heide Simonis.
The jury for the MARE BALTICUM, led by Harry von Hofmann, awarded medals: 2 large gold, 8 gold, 23 large vermeil, 13 vermeil, 23 large silver, 3 silver, 1 silver bronze and one bronze.
The organizational team with Michael Bergmann as exhibition manager of KIEL ’03, Karl-Heinz Wenzel, exhibition manager of MARE BALTICUM and Waldemar Schmidt for the 104th German Philatelist Day informed the participants and visitors with three bulletins, a catalog and a palmares for the two exhibitions in rank 1 and the Philatelist Day. The exhibitors each received a silver medal made of precious metal and a certificate.
The exhibitor Mauri Lahtinen from Finland received the MARE BALTICUM Grand Prize for his collection “Classic Finland 1856 – 1884”.
There were four special cancellations and four machine cancellations for the three events.
All exhibitors, commissioners and the jury in the Ostseehalle received a porcelain plate in cobalt blue from the “Kieler Philatelisten-Verein von 1931 e.V.” as a souvenir and as a small thank you for their participation in the two rank 1 exhibitions and for the work they did Work. Participants and visitors of the “104. German Philatelist Day” in Kiel Castle received the porcelain plate with a picture of the castle from the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kieler Briefmarkensammler-Vereine e.V.”
A walk through Kiel
The state capital of Schleswig-Holstein arises from the blue freshness of the Baltic Sea – the Mare Balticum -, the bright white of the wide beaches along the Kiel Fjord and the greenery that runs through the entire town. Experience Kiel as one of the most important passenger ports in Germany. Experience the port, which offers hands-on shipping like no other: the arrival and departure of the “big boats” from the Kiel Canal, the docking and departure of the proud cruise ships and the overseas ferries that Kiel connect with Scandinavia and the Baltics. – everything takes place in the middle of the city. Kiel is a good location for science, business and culture. Kiel is home to the traditional Christian Albrechts University, the Institute for the World Economy, the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research and offers an impressive selection of museums and galleries. Keel and sailing belong together. Kiel was the venue for Olympic sailing competitions twice. The annual Kiel Week has made the city world famous as a “mecca for sailors”. The Gorch Fock, a sailing training ship of the German Navy, has its home port in Kiel. In the middle of the city you can also see the Ostseehalle, which is now called the Wunderino Arena. A venue for concerts, congresses, shows and the appearances of the multiple German handball champion THW Kiel, who plays their Bundesliga home games here – and also in 2003 the stamp exhibitions MARE BALTICUM and KIEL 03 as well as the first part of the 104th German Philatelist Day – the second part ends in Kiel Castle.
On the website www.kieler-philatelistenverein.de you will find more information about maritime events in Kiel and around Kiel.
by Karl-Heinz Wenzel
Kieler Philatelisten-Verein von 1931 e.V.