350th Anniversary of the postal service to Aland.

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aukepalmhof
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350th Anniversary of the postal service to Aland.

Post by aukepalmhof » Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:38 pm

The stamp shows us a small sailing boat loading the mail in front of the Post Office and Custom House in Eckerö.
In 1638 began the regular mail transport service on the route Stockholm, Sweden- Turku, Finland and on to St Petersburg Russia with a stopping point in Eckerö, Aland Islands.

The farmers of Eckerö were divided into 8 districts with 8 men each. They were obliged to carry mail over the Alands Sea, the most dangerous post office route in the world. The passage was a dangerous affair in all seasons. On land, the post route was marked with milestones indicating the distance to the nearest post office.

When Sweden was forced to cede Finland and Aland to Russia in the war of 1808-1809, Eckerö became a gateway to the western world for the Tsarist Empire.

The German architect Carl Ludvig Engel was commissioned to build a stately post office and customs house in Eckerö. The building was finished in 1828. (the building is also depicted in the background of the stamp.)

1910 The postal service finished, the mail was from that time direct transported between the cities.

Source: Navicula and Internet,
Aland Islands 1988 1M80 sg 30, scott
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