Moon Landscape
By Lubor Kunc (lubor.kunc@seznam.cz)
Might be, the title of this
article seems romantic one, but as you will see, the text is totally different.
We can summarize it “Anything can happen!”. Let’s start
the unusual story. The „Moon Landscape“ is
a picture painted by Petr Ginz of Prague being shown on one of souvenir sheets
issued by Czech Postal Administration in 2005 (fig. 1). You are probably
asking, who is the man and why I am writing about the picture.
Fig. 1
Petr Ginz was born in Prague
in family of a Jewish businessman in 1928. His mother was a native Czech, he had a sister Eva born in 1930. Petr was very
advanced writer and painter, but before he had chance to become famous artist,
Hitler occupied Czechoslovakia and started holocaust of Jews living in the
country. The Ginz family survived in Prague by 1942, Petr kept interesting diary
showing live of Jews in Prague in 1941-1942. In 1942 Petr and his father were
transported to Theresienstadt Ghetto (Sister Eva followed them in 1944). Petr lived in Theresienstadt until 1944. He
continued his artistic activities, he wrote articles for an illegal journal
„VEDEM“ published in the Ghetto (he was one of its
founders) as well as he painted various pictures – one of them was the „Moon
Landscape“. In 1944 Petr was transported to Auschwitz concentration camp, where
he did in the same year. His sister survived the stay at Theresienstadt Ghetto
and after WWII she emigrated to Israel, where she got new name „Chava
Pressburger“ – her signature you can see at the fig. 1.
Petr´s story was soon
forgotten, a lot of similar destinies we can find in whole Europe. This changed
in 2002, when first Israeli astronaut - Colonel Ilan Ramon - decided to take an
item remembering Holocaust for his space mission. His decision was influenced
by live of his mother, who was prisoned by Nazis in Auschwitz concentration
camp. He was offered to take copy of Petr´ s drawing „Moon Landscape“ and he immediately accepted the proposal. The original
painting was owned by Yad Vashem Museum of Jerusalem agreeing with this Ramon´s
plan and producing copy of the picture for him.
Ilan Ramon took part in Columbia’s
mission lasting from Jan. 16 to Feb. 1, 2003. Unfortunately the space shuttle
was destroyed during landing phase on Feb. 1, 2003 killing all the astronauts
being on its board. Also copy of Petr Ginz´s picture was destroyed during the
crash. It is ironical, that this disaster occurred on day, when Petr would
celebrate his 75th
birthday … . The Columbia’s destruction had two impacts.
First, the Ginz´s diaries
being believed as lost were discovered in an old house of Prague. The TV news about the Columbia accident were
often accompanied by information about his picture and somebody remembered,
that he saw old pads with Petr Ginz´s name. The diaries were immediately
acquired by Chava Pressburger, who organized them for publishing (This diary was published in Prague in 2004
under name „Deník mého bratra“ / My brother’s diary / with support of “Czech-German Future Fund”
trying to overcome war injustices; on these days, the diary is being published
in Germany).
The second impact of Columbia
disaster was a philatelic one. Famous Czech collector Mr. Bretislav
Janik got idea to prepare a joint-stamp issue of Czech Republic and Israel to
celebrate both Petr Ginz and Ilan Ramon. He started an internet petition (in
English version at http://www.japhila.cz/petition.htm) to support this
idea. This was very successful step, many people signed the petition. The
petition supporters come not only from Czech Republic and Israel, but also from
USA, Canada, Slovakia, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Germany and the
Netherlands. Surprising is, that the document was also signed by people coming
from exotic countries like Singapore, Australia or Venezuela. The petition was
supported by Czech Astronomical Society, too.
No wonder, that the petition
attracted public attention in the Czech Republic, remember, that Czechoslovakia
was third country of the world (after Soviet Union and USA) sending his
astronaut into space. Czech military pilot Vladimir Remek took part in Soyuz 28
mission in 1978. Also three American astronauts – Eugene A. Cernan, James L.
Lovell, Jr. and John E. Blaha participating e.g. in Gemini 9, Apollo 10 or
Apollo 17 space missions, are Czech & Slovak origin. The space is a popular
topic among Czech stamp collectors as well, they founded a “KOSMOS” philatelic
club in Prague in 1971 (http://philately.webpark.cz/cosmos.htm)
to collect space on stamps and space mail.
Czech Postal Administration
accepted the demand and issued a souvenir sheet celebrating Petr Ginz and
Columbia space shuttle (fig. 2) on Jan. 20, 2005. This was first time,
when Czech Postal Administration issued a stamp requested by public via an Internet
petition. Author of this souvenir sheet is Pavel Hrach,
the work has been engraved by Vaclav Fajt and printed in Postal Printing House
of Prague. The press run of the sheet amounts to 120.000 pieces.
Fig. 2 – official FDC produced by Czech Postal Administration for Ginz´s
souv. sheet
I was very happy, that the
stamp issue was launched. I sent on its first day of issue a registered letter
from Prague to Austria to get the souvenir sheet on really mailed cover (fig.
3). The souvenir sheet is postally valid without any limitation, so you can
still use it for franking of your mail, when you come to Prague (as per
current postal rates of Czech Postal Administration, the sheet is useful e.g. for
franking of registered letters sent to the USA/Canada, but also within Europe).
I am sure, that using
this souvenir sheet for mail is the best remembering of Petr Ginz, Ilan Ramon
as well as other astronauts being on board of Columbia space shuttle!
Fig. 3
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