Magyar Posta is marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Count Kuno Klebelsberg (1875–1932) by issuing a commemorative stamp. The stamp commemorates one of the most influential Hungarian educational and cultural politicians of the 20th century, who devoted the whole of his life’s work to the development of national culture, and education and science in Hungary. Forty thousand copies of the stamp designed by the graphic artist Anita Laczkó were produced by ANY Security Printing Company.
Count Kuno Klebelsberg was a Hungarian lawyer, member of the Hungarian Parliament, educational politician, Minister of the Interior for a brief period (1921-1922), and then Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Education for almost ten years (1922- 1931). From 1917 to 1932 he was the president of the Hungarian Historical Society.
Born on 13 November 1875, he was the predominant figure in cultural policy until his death in 1932. As Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Education, he introduced sweeping reforms in education. He was responsible for the building of more than 5,000 “people’s” schools providing compulsory elementary education, founded the University of Szeged, and strongly supported the development of the University of Debrecen. Klebelsberg established a network of cultural institutes abroad, such as the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna and Berlin. He laid the foundations for the modern functioning of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and gave his backing to the development of the National Széchényi Library.
Many institutions, schools, streets throughout Hungary and a hall of residence bear his name. Besides these achievements, one of the most significant posthumous acknowledgements of his endeavours was the establishment of the Klebelsberg Kuno Prize to recognise the work of teachers.
The commemorative stamp bears a portrait of Kuno Klebelsberg with a few, but by no means all, of the major accomplishments and milestones in his life in the background: the Hungarian National Museum, the University of Debrecen, a people’s school and Szeged Cathedral. The commemorative first day cover shows Count Kuno Klebelsberg in the renowned library in his home. The design of the postmark on the first day cover is a creative combination of an open book and the building of a people’s school.
