Between March and May of 1920, a series of fourteen postage stamps, ranging in denominations from 5 Pf. through 5 Mk., was issued to publicise the upcoming referendum. Four of those stamps are shown here:
10 Pf. - Red
15 Pf. - Green
40 Pf. - Taupe
50 Pf. - Violet
"COMMISSION / INTERALLIEE", or "Allied Commission" is inscribed at the top and "MARIENWERDER" at the bottom. The designs featured an allegorical figure representing the Allied Commission, flanked by the flags of the Allied nations.
In July 1920, the fourteen values of the Allied Commission definitive set were again issued. These stamps were identical to the previous issue, except that the inscriptions now read "PLEBISCITE" at the top and "MARIENWERDER / KWIDZYN" at the bottom. Four examples are displayed here.
30 Pf. - Yellow
75 Pf. - Light Brown
2 Mk. - Brown
5 Mk. - Ultramarine and Rose
The name 'Marienwerder', in German, literally means 'Mary's Little Island'. The town was founded in the 14th Century by Teutonic Knights and was used as the seat of the Bishops of Pomerania within Prussia.
Following World War I, the Marienwerder District, southeast of Danzig, was disputed between the new Second Republic of Poland and the German Weimar Republic. Marienwerder was the capital of the district, which also included the urban districts of Graudenz (Grudziądz) and Thorn (Toruń) before 1920. Rural districts in the region included Briesen, Kulm, Deutsch-Krone, Flatow, Graudenz, Konitz, Löbau, Rosenberg, Schlochau (Człuchów), Schwetz, Strasburg, Stuhm, Thorn, and Tuchel.
From the 1700's, the Marienwerder District had been part of the German Imperial Province of West Prussia. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the greater portion of West Prussia was ceded to Poland. However, due to the overwhelmingly large ethnic German population in the Marienwerder District, the area was allowed to have a plebiscite.
In the plebiscite, more than 93% of the electorate voted to join Germany, and as a result, the Marienwerder District became part of the Weimar Republic.
After WWII, the territory reverted to Poland. The entire German population was relocated and Poles in the Soviet Union were settled here.
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