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| The UPU emblem is full of historic significance and takes its inspiration from the Universal Postal Union monument erected at the beginning of the 20th century in Berne, Switzerland. |
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Universal Postal Union
monument in Berne |
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| The bronze and granite statue commemorating the Union's founding in 1874 was unveiled on 4 October 1909. It is the work of the French sculptor René DE SAINT-MARCEAUX, a member of the Paris Académie des beaux-arts. He was chosen to execute the work following an international competition organized by the Swiss Government on the theme: "Around the world". |
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| DE SAINT-MARCEAUX's sculpture embodies the UPU's truly universal mission, depicting five messengers who symbolise the five continents as they pass letters round the globe. |
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| The monument's symbolic representation was gradually accepted as the UPU's distinctive emblem. The logo appeared for the first time on the cover of the UPU's flagship magazine Union Postale in 1951, and was then used on envelopes and official documents. The UPU's Executive Council adopted it as the Union's official logo in 1967. |
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