Finland: Stamps from Finland

On 10th August I got a postcard from Finland.

It is inscribed "Stamps from Finland" and some real old stamps were affixed to the front side. This card was sent through official Postcrossing.

The stamp on the right is from a set of three about Butterflies (issued 24-08-2007) and shows a Moorland Clouded Yellow.

 Thank You very much Susa!

Finland: Helsinki Central Station

On 21st July I got four postcards: one from Finland, one from Austria, one from Taiwan and one from the USA.

The card from Finland shows Helsinki Central Station. Helsinki Central Station is the most important railway station in Finland's capital. It was opened in 1919 and is considered to be among the most beautiful train station in the World. This card from official Postcrossing is a nice addition for my new collection of Railway Stations, for which I finally managed to create a page here on the blog listing those cards I already have.

The stamp is from a set of two about the Centenary of Lotta Svärd (issued 28-04-2021), the voluntary Finnish women's national defense organization.

Thank You very much Hannele!

Finland: The Memoirs of Moominpappa

Last Tuesday I got a postcard from Finland.

It shows the cover image of The Memoirs of Moominpappa by Tove Jansson. Originally published as The Exploits of Moominpappa in 1950 and then considerably revised in 1968 under the title Moominpappa's Memoirs, this is the fourth book in the Moomin series. Although I have never read any Moomin book, I like these little characters since I joined Postcrossing and I am always happy to get cards about them. 

Like I have already wrote here a few times, I recently sorted through all my stamps with childhood heroes and put them together in a new blog. At the end I also had a missing list of Moomin stamps: of the 45 Finnish Moomin stamps issued between 2007 and 2020 I had 31. Number 32 was used on this card. It is one of the six stamps issued on 9th May 2007 and shows Moominpappa. If you happen to have any Moomin stamps not shown here please post a comment. Maybe we can swap! An additional stamp was used on this card. It is from a set of six called Arktika and was issued on 9th May 2017.

Thank You very much Marita!

Finland: Giant Pandas at Ähtäri Zoo

On Friday I got three postcards: two from Finland and one from Sweden.

The two cards from Finland show the Giant Pandas at the Ähtäri Zoo. The Ähtäri Zoo was opened in 1973 and is today the second largest zoo in Finland. Two goals of the zoo are creating natural living conditions for the animals and increasing knowledge of species and nature. It is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. In 2016 it was first announced that the zoo would get two Giant Pandas as loan from China to celebrate Finland's Centenary of Independence in 2017. In February 2017 the construction of the panda's home began and the two Giant Pandas arrived in January 2018. They will stay in Finland for the next 15 years.

The first card shows Pyry, the male panda.

Stamps:
Arktika (from set of six) (issued 09-05-2017)
Christmas (from set of two) (issued 06-11-2019)

The second card shows Lumi, the female panda.

Stamps:
Arktika (from set of six) (issued 09-05-2017)
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 08-05-2019)

Thank You very much Soili!

Finland: Christmas

On Tuesday I got my last four cards of 2019: one from Finland, one from Germany, one from Lithuania and one from France.

The card from Finland is a Christmas card.

It is an official card: FI-3631202

Stamps:
Arktika (from set of six) (issued 09-05-2017)
Endangered Species (from set of three) (issued 09-09-2016)

Thank You very much Satu!

Finland: Kiasma

Last Friday I got three postcards: one from Finland, one from Poland and one from Belgium.

The card from Finland shows Kiasma in Helsinki. Kiasma is a museum of contemporary art. It is a part of the Finnish National Gallery and was established in 1990. The current building was opened in 1998.

Stamps:
Arktika (from set of six) (issued 09-05-2017)
Traditional Finnish Foods (from set of six) (issued 06-06-2018)
with a special postmark from Helsinki

Thank You very much Keiko!

Finland: Rauma

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from Finland, one from Poland, one from Spain and one from India.

The card from Finland shows a view of Rauma. Rauma is a town on the west coast of Finland. It is known for the old wooden architecture of its centre. Old Rauma is since 1991 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Moomins' Advice to a Good Life (from set of six) (issued 05-06-2019)

Thank You very much Anu!

Finland: Sammallahdenmäki

On 16th September I got a postcard from Finland.

It shows Sammallahdenmäki. Sammallahdenmäki is a Bronze Age burial site consisting of 36 granite burial cairns. It provides a unique insight into the funerary practices and social and religious structures of Northern Europa 3000 years ago. The Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki is since 1999 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With an awesome matching souvenir sheet:
Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki (whole set) (issued 08-09-2004)
Linnaea borealis (issued 14-01-2004)
Arktika (from set of six) (issued 09-05-2017)

Thank You very much Sini!

Finland: Moomins with New Moomin Stamp and Designer's Signature

Last Friday I got two postcards: one from Finland and one from Spain.

The card from Finland shows an illustration of the Moomins.

The card was signed by James Zambra, the son of Tove Jansson's niece and the designer of this year's Moomin stamps.
With a great matching stamp:
Moomins' Advice to a Good Life (from set of six) (issued 05-06-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark
Arktika (from set of six) (issued 09-05-2017)

Thank You very much Heli!

Some days after I got this card I also got the FDC of the Moomin stamps, which I had ordered online.

cover from Finland

Last Saturday I got not only three postcards but also a cover from Finland.

Stamp:

Urban Parks (from set of three) (issued 06-09-2017)

Inside were postcards from nine Finnish museums.

The first one is from the Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum in Turku. The Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum is an open-air museum which was opened in 1940. It shows the largest area to completely survive the Great Fire of Turku in 1827.

The second one is from the Forum Marinum in Turku. The Forum Marinum is Finland's national martime museum. It was opened in 1999 when two older museums were merged.

The third one shows the museum ship Sigyn. Sigyn is the last remaining wooden barque used for trade across the oceans. It was built in 1887 and is used as museum ship since 1939. Today it belongs to the Forum Marinum.

The fourth card shows a painting from the collection of the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art in Turku. The Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art was opened in 1967. It is especially dedicated to modern art and its permanent exhibition is based on the art collection of the City of Turku, which includes a large collection of works by Finnish artist and sculptor Wäinö Aaltonen.

The fifth card is from the Birthplace of Jean Sibelius in Hämeenlinna. Jean Sibelius, the most famous Finnish composer, was born and lived the first 20 years of his life in Hämeenlinna. The rooms of his birthplace are decorated in the style of the era between the 1860s and the 1880s and can be visited.

The other cards are from Häme Castle in Hämeenlinna, the Biological Museum in Turku, the Electricity Museum in Paimio and the August Pyölniittu Museum in Paimio.

Thank You very much Sanna!

Finland: Hämeenlinna Postcrossing Meet-up

On Friday I got a postcard from Finland.

It is the official postcard of the Postcrossing Meet-up held during the Postcard Festival in Hämeenlinna.

The card was signed during the meet-up.
With a matching stamp:
Personalised Stamp "Postcrossing"
with a special Postcrossing postmark

Thank You very much Jarno!

Finland: Sweet William

On Monday I got two postcards: one from Finland and one from Austria.

The card from Finland shows a Sweet William. The Sweet William is a flower native to southern Europe and parts of Asia which has become a popular ornamental garden plant. It is edible and may have medicinal properties.

Stamp:
Snow Queen (issued 03-11-2017)
with a special postmark from Saariselkä

Thank You very much Johanna!

Finland: Snowqueen

Last Saturday I got two postcards: one from Finland and one from Poland.

The card from Finland shows Rudolf Koivu's illustration of the Snow Queen. Rudolf Koivu was born in 1890. He was a Finnish illustrator and is especially known for his illustrations of fairy tales. Koivu died in 1946. In his honor the Rudolf Koivu Prize is awarded biennially to Finnish illustrators of children's books since 1949.

With a great matching stamp:
Snow Queen (issued 03-11-2017)
with a special postmark from the Moomin Museum in Tampere

Thank You very much Laura!

Finland: Virpi Pekkala

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from Finland, one from Japan, one from Germany and one from China.

The card from Finland was designed by Virpi Pekkala for the Finnish Postcrossing Friends. Virpi Pekkala is a Finnish artist, who is especially known for her postcards.

Stamp:
Moomin (from set of six) (issued 06-05-2009)

Thank You very much Laura!

Finland: Moomin

On Wednesday I got three postcards: one from Finland, one from Germany and one from the USA.

The card from Finland is a great addition to my Moomin card collection.

With a matching stamp:
The Moomins Time Travel (from set of five) (issued 24-05-2017)

Thank You very much Sini!

Finland: Moomin

Yesterday I got two postcards: one from Finland and one from Germany.

The card from Finland is a shaped Moomin card.

Stamp:
Sound of Silence (from set of three) (issued 24-02-2017)

Thank You very much Mirva!

Finland: Centenary of Independence

In the course of this week I got four postcards from Finland.

One of them is the special postcard designed by Postallove for the Centenary of Finland's independence. Finland declared its independence from the Russia on 6th December 1917. Shortly after the independence was approved by Russia, the German Empire and the Scandinavian countries. A civil war, quarrels with the Soviet Union and the time of World War II followed, but Finland was able to develop a stable democratic and market-based system. In 1995 Finland joined the European Union and in 2002 it introduced the Euro. For the Centenary of Independence in 2017 many events are planned in Finland including the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and the European Stamp Exhibition in Tampere.

With a great stamp:
The Moomins Time Travel (from set of five) (issued 24-05-2017)
with a special postmark of the Moomin Museum

Thank You very much Anu!

Finland: Tampere International Postcrossing Meeting

In the course of this week I got four postcards from Finland.

One of them is the official postcard designed by Virpi Pekkale for the Tampere International Postcrossing Meeting. The Tampere International Postcrossing Meeting was organised by Finnish Postcrossing Friends and was held between the 26th and 28th May. More than 100 postcrossers from 14 countries came together for the meet-up, which was partly held in conjunction with the European Stamp Exhibition.

With a related stamp:
Postcrossing (from set of four) (issued 09-09-2013)
with a special postmark from the European Stamp Exhibition in Tampere

Thank You very much Susanna!

Finland: Inge Löök's Old Ladies

In the course of this week I got four postcards from Finland.

One of them is the special postcard designed by Inge Löök for the Centenary of Finland's independence. Inge Löök is a Finnish illustrator. She is especially known for her Old Ladies, which she first created in 2003. Other themes she often uses are gardens and Christmas elves. In 2016 she designed a special postmark for the Postcrossing Meet-up in Helsinki.

Stamp:
Endangered Species (from set of three) (issued 09-09-2016)
with a special postmark from the European Stamp Exhibition in Tampere

Thank You very much Heli!