Croatian Post Mostar commemorates the Croatian Ethnic Institute in Chicago

By Linn’s Staff

The 50th anniversary of the Croatian Ethnic Institute in Chicago is commemorated on an Oct. 4 stamp issued by Croatian Post Mostar, the Croat administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The design of the 2-mark stamp includes the institute’s logo. As shown above, the stamp is available in sheets of nine.

Located within the monastery of the Croatian Franciscans at 4848 S. Ellis Ave. in Chicago, Ill., the Croatian Ethnic Institute was founded in 1975 with a mission “to preserve the memory of the past and to serve as a source of inspiration for the future.”

Although the founding of the institute dates back 50 years, the history of safeguarding the history of Croatian immigration at the monastery goes back further.

In 1926 the Croatian Franciscan Commissariat of the Holy Family was established with a headquarters in Chicago and a ministry to serve Croatian immigrants in the United States and Canada. The Croatian Franciscans now have a number of parishes in both countries.

Today the Croatian Ethnic Institute houses archives, a museum and a library with over 12,000 volumes. Included within the institute’s holdings are original works by sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, the personal effects of former Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic and a New Jersey Nets jersey worn by Drazen Petrovic.

Ivica Madzar designed the stamps, which were printed in a quantity of 5,000 sheets of nine.

An official first-day cover included with the issue has a cachet showing the outside of the institute and a pictorial postmark with the same image of the logo shown on the stamp.

The stamps and related products are available to purchase online at the website of Croatian Post Mostar at www.epostshop.ba/en/philately as well as on the WOPA+ Stamps and Coins website at www.wopa-plus.com.

Connect with Linn’s Stamp News: 

    Sign up for our newsletter