Implications of Philately in Promoting the Protected Natural Areas (VII): Retezat National Park, Romania

Abstract

The protected natural areas have a special beauty, manifested in terms of landscapes that delight the eye, but especially in the species of flora and fauna that populate them. However, not many of these areas are accessible to the general public. As a result, they are not known and appreciated at their true value. To make them known to all and to show the implications of thematic philately in the promotion of protected areas. This paper aims to discuss a series of significant philatelic features related to the Retezat National Park. The present study is based on an impressive series of stamps, first-day envelopes, occasional envelopes, and illustrated postcards, including maxima, which were collected, indexed, and analyzed in stages. Besides, both official pieces (made under the auspices of the Romanian postal administration) and pieces made for private by entities or collectors are studied. It is thus recorded that the thematic philately is richly nuanced by pieces referring to the Retezat National Park, which implicitly leads to greater visibility of it among the population.