BEPHILA 2026 – Encounters, Inspiration and Renewed Motivation
From 17 to 19 July 2026, BEPHILA 2026, a bilateral German–Swedish competitive exhibition, took place in Bernau near Berlin. Together with our cooperation partners LPHV, ÖSVLPH and the International Stamp Collectors’ Association Rosenegg, we were represented at a joint stand.
The exhibition brought together 163 exhibits displayed across a total of 789 frames, presenting an impressive and diverse overall picture. In addition to the strongly represented traditional collecting fields, Thematic Philately and Open Philately in particular provided interesting, creative and visitor-friendly highlights.
In the Thematic Philately class, Peggy Bitterolf received the Best of Class award for her exhibit “Gone to the Dogs … with Legends and Facts”. She achieved 93 points and a Large Gold medal. (The accompanying picture is not part of the exhibit :-). In the Open Philately class, Dr Wolfgang Leupold also received 93 points, a Large Gold medal and the Best of Class award for his exhibit “German Emigrants in Russia – Between Catherine the Great and Joseph Stalin”.
The strong participation of young philatelists was particularly encouraging. Sixteen youth exhibits displayed across 36 frames are remarkable for an exhibition of this size. The young exhibitors also included a small delegation from our partner association in Meiningen.
It was also encouraging to see a relatively large number of visitors examining the exhibits in detail. People studied and compared the material attentively and engaged in lively discussions in front of the frames. This was a welcome sign that well-presented philately continues to attract interest and stimulate conversation.
As a thematic study group, we were not necessarily the centre of attention in an environment largely dominated by postal history and commercial dealers. Nevertheless, stimulating conversations took place at our joint stand, and we established valuable contacts. Although we were unable to recruit any new members directly, our participation was worthwhile. We were able to present our work, maintain existing relationships and gain new ideas and inspiration.
Our own meeting was particularly important as well. Although only a small group of us attended, there was ample opportunity to discuss matters, exchange ideas and talk about the future activities of our study group. These personal conversations once again strengthened our determination and motivated us to continue our work with commitment and enthusiasm.
BEPHILA 2026 was excellently organised. Whenever a question arose, a friendly and knowledgeable contact person was readily available. We were also very well looked after during the highly interesting guided tour of Bernau, which took us from the medieval town centre to its prefabricated housing estates and thus through various chapters of the town’s history.
The annual meeting of our study group also took place in a pleasant and constructive atmosphere. The minutes will be published in the next issue of Philatelia Medica.
Overall, everyone involved was very satisfied. We returned from Bernau with new ideas, a stronger sense of unity and renewed motivation. Once again, BEPHILA 2026 proved to be an exhibition that was well worth attending and actively contributing to.
