The stamp series – which also commemorates the end of World War II 80 years ago – honors an extraordinary chapter in San Marino’s history: the reception of over 100,000 refugees between late 1943 and 1945. This number was more than six times the population of San Marino at the time, which had only around 15,000 inhabitants.
There have already been two stamps featuring the “Campo dei centomila” (Field of the Hundred Thousand), issued in 1975 and 2000. The name refers to the reception of over 100,000 refugees in San Marino. The term symbolizes the country’s humanitarian effort, although no specific place with this name exists.
The over 100,000 refugees came mainly from the surrounding Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche, particularly from cities such as Rimini, Forlì, Cesena, Pesaro, and Ancona. These areas were located along the Gothic Line (Linea Gotica), a massive German defense line stretching across northern Italy. The intense battles between the Wehrmacht and the Allies along this line, which consisted of bunkers, tank barriers, and fortified positions, led to massive destruction and forced many civilians to flee. The neutral microstate of San Marino provided these people with a safe haven, as it was officially neutral and had no strategic significance. After the liberation of northern Italy in the spring of 1945, most refugees returned to their hometowns, but many found only ruins upon their return. Cities such as Rimini and Bologna had been almost completely destroyed by bombings.
The motifs of the stamp block and individual stamps depict displaced persons and refugees as a symbol of the suffering of the thousands who had to flee from the fighting; bread as a symbol of food and solidarity – a sign that San Marino, despite its limited resources, did everything it could to support those in need; and railway tunnels, which became vital shelters, providing thousands with refuge from air raids. These tunnels were part of the Rimini–San Marino railway, a cross-border, electrified narrow-gauge railway that connected San Marino with the city of Rimini in Italy (see map). After four years of construction, it was inaugurated in 1932 (stamp on the left) and destroyed toward the end of World War II. A short section in San Marino was reopened as a tourist attraction in 2012 (stamp on the right).
- Issued on: 2025-02-11
- Size: 30 x 40 mm
- Colors: Multicolor
- Designers: Domenico Liberti
- Printers: Cartor Security Printing
- Format: Full Pane
- Perforation: 13¼ x 13
- Printing: Offset lithography
- Face value: 4*1.30 € – Euro
- Print run: 9,000
- Description: stamp from se-tenant pair