The first one was issued on 20 January 1993. This tradition of well-designed stamps continued during the twenties and thirties, with work by such great Czech artists as Max Svabinsky and Jaroslav Benda and, in the younger generation, Cyril Bouda and Karel Svolinski, backed by the brilliant steel engraving skills of Karel Seizinger and Bohumil Heinz. Today this tradition continues to flourish and develop thanks to the contemporary generation of top Czech artists and graphic designers, above all the skilled engravers. I n the first four years of its independence the Czech Republic has issued more than one hundred postage stamps. They are printed for the Czech Post Office by a special print-ing house in Prague.
Special attention is paid to the thematic side of the output.
H ere as in other countries, an important place is reserved for stamps that are traditionally a commercial success. These include stamps meeting the highest artistic standards depicting fauna and flora, stamps with Christmas and Easter themes, and stamps relating to children, historical automobiles, airplanes, and trains. One very popular 1995 series entitled the European Year of Nature Protection depicted endangered species of insects. The extremely delicate design was the work of Professor Josef Liesler. In 1993 the international Christian community was celebrated in a postage stamp depicting St John of Nepomuk, issued jointly by the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany.