Introduction 1882 - I 1887 1891 - II 1895 - III 1898 1899 1900 1901 - IV 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 - V 1908 1910 1911 1912 - VI 1913 1914 1915 1916 1918 1919 1920 - Local Events 1920 - VII 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 - VIII 1927 1928

SOKOL POSTCARDS and Poster Stamps Yunak (Click on any image to view an enlarged version) Yunak badge, with official emblem Bulgaria created its own version of Sokol, called Yunak, or Hero. Founded in 1895, it had similar roots - a desire to build a strong, patriotic citizenry - and Yunaks competed in Sokol Slets. But Yunak developed on its own, and unlike the Czech organization, Yunak developed with the cooperation and approval of the government, and in cooperation with the school system. Yunak's full name in Bulgarian is СЪЮЗЪ НА БЪЛГАР СКИТЪ ГИМНАСТИ ЧЕСКИ ДРУЖЕСТВА THE UNION OF BULGARIAN GYMNASTIC SOCIETIES (SBGD) The founder of Yunak was a chemistry teacher, Todor Yonchev. He had encountered gymnastics movements in Switzerland and Austria-Hungary during his studies there, and saw their practical benefit in developing patriotism, public unity and a healthy populace. In order to spread the gymnastics in Bulgaria, he established gymnasiums in Shumen and Sofia. The movement spread and grew rapidly, and at its peak in the early 1940s, it had a membership of nearly 60,000 (out of a total population of about 7 million) with 242 branches nationwide. Unlike Sokol, though, it did not survive the Communists, who outlawed it in 1946. NOTE: Sokol membership in Czechoslovakia in 1940 was about 700,000 out of a population of 15 million. The cards and stamps shown below are all dated, and are shown on the appropriate year pages, as well as here. ------------------ 1901 An undivided postally used postcard showing a group of Bulgarian Junaci at the IV. All-Sokol Slet in Prague. ------------------ 1907 An unused card described as "Bulgarian Sokol visitors to the V. Slet in Prague." The white caps identify them as members of Yunak, rather than Sokol.   ------------------ 1910 1910: Bulgarian card for the 5th Yunak Assembly, in Sofia, June 27-29, 1910.   ------------------ 1912 Card showing Yunak group on parade at the VI. Sokol Slet; postally used locally in Prague.   ------------------ 1925 Yunak membership stamps   I have seen these described as "revenue stamps," but the only way I have seen them used is to validate Yunak membership cards, so I think they are not really "revenue" stamps, since that would imply official government issue, and Yunak is a private organization. I have put them on the 1925 page because the only dated use of them I have seen is the one below, on a membership card dated 1925/1926. They may have been issued earlier. As dues increased, they applied overprints:   --------------- 1930 Postcard for 7th Yunak Assembly - SOFIA (Bulgaria) VII. СЪЮЗЕНЪ ЮНАКИ СЪБОРЪ --------------- 1935 Postage stamps to honor the 8th Yunak Assembly Note that the high value of the set, the 50 leva, shows the official emblem of Yunak, the shield with an athlete holding a dumbbell aloft, a lion in front. This can be seen on the membership badge at the top of this page as well. And there it is again on the 2 leva value of the set of stamps issued in 1939, shown below. --------------- 1939 Postage stamps to honor the 9th Yunak Assembly

1929 1930 1931 1932 - IX 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 - X 1939 1943 - London 1946 1947 1948 - XI 1948 - Rudé Právo labels 1951 1989 1990 1994 - XII 1996 UNDATED Chile USA Slovak Catholic Sokol DTJ Orel YUNAK Links References Acknowledgments UPDATES