World Post Offices Past & Present

The post office in Erice (Sicily), Italy, a town about five kilometres from the shore as the crow flies at an altitude of ca. 750 metres. Some Roman Historians claim the town was founded by Aeneas (from Troy), the ancestor of Romulus, founder of Rome.

The post office on the island of Ortigia, the ancient city of Syracuse's old town (Sicily). When I got to Ortigia, I had run out of stamps I had bought in Taormina. I spent Another € 24 on stamps postcards.

As explained in one of the threads about Andorra (Spanish administration stamps), in the Middle Ages, the Count of Foix was co-prince of Andorra. The arms of that principality encompass the arms of Foix. The lineage married into the Béarn viscounts' dynasty. Consequently, the arms of Béarn also appear in that of Andorra.

In November 2021, I visited the cathedral in La Seu d'Urgell. There is a frequent local bus service to Escaldes-Engordany in Andorra from the city. The principality is ruled by two co-princes. One is the bishop of La Seu d'Urgell. The other is the president of the French Republic as successor to the Kings of France. They received the title as heirs to the Counts of Foix. Having visited the home of one of the Andorran princes, and the principality, there was just one thing left to do: visit the Counts of Foix. They, graciously, received me at their castle. Of course, not before making me part with admittance.

Whilst in town, I bought some postcards and stamps to stick on them so they, actually, would make their way to my friends. I took the picture of the main post office in the town of Foix at the foot of the French Pyrenees in August 2022.

Plasencia post office.

The main post office in Plasencia (Cáceres province in the autonomy of Extremadura). The city's two cathedrals have appeared on stamps and miniature sheets. In November 1922, I visited a some Spanish towns. That was a good reason to pop into the local post office to buy some more stamps, especially for the 'D' tariff. Plasencia's post office was the only one that had these stamps. Being almost the end of the year, these 'D' tariff stamps would remain valid for postcards to Russia if the tariff had been increased at the beginning of 1923. So, I stocked up on those stamps.

The city of Salamanca in Castilla y León is home to two cathedrals and two universities. It is one of the most monumental cities in Spain.

Foreign students come here in large numbers to learn Spanish. The Spanish from Salamanca is considered the purest castilian tongue (comparable to England's Oxford, Germany's Hannover, and the Netherlands' Haarlem).

The skyline of Salamanca with its cathedrals, the 'Ponti' university - not to be confused with the famous university from 1228 that is among the oldest in the world -, and San Estéban Monastery is among the most recognisable of Spain's skylines. The view of the 'Roman' bridge over the Tormes River and the cathedrals has been used on stamps.

The former Imperial Royal Austrian Post Office in Jerusalem, now a Christian Information Centre. Closed at the end of the Ottoman days in 1914. The building stands just inside the Jaffa Gate in the Old City.











So if your Postal History interests are in Austrian covers with Jerusalem cancels, this is where they originated !!

Londonbus1

The main post office in La Rochelle (early December 1922). The city is famous for its three towers that guarded its mediaeval port. During World War II, the Germans built their indestructable U-boat pens in this city's harbour.

Frankfurt

This is a Postbank and Deutsche Post corner inside the 'Galleria Karstadt' store on Frankfurt am Main's high street, Zeil. It is about 200 metres from the Goetheplatz and 100 metres from the former Thurn und Taxis palace. This 'post office' has two dispensers for variable value stamps. The second one stands on the other side of the pillar.

The Palazzo delle Poste (January 2023) in Trieste, Italy was built in eclectic style, in 1894. The architect was Friedrich Selz from Vienna.

The building stands on the site of a previous customs building that had been erected on the ancient salt pans.

On the lower floor is the Mitteleuropa Postal and Telegraph Museum that opens from 09:00 until 13:00 CET on weekdays. Trieste was an important harbour of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before it became part of Italy after World War I. Among the products that arrived here were coffee beans. Just outside the city is the Illy plant.

Gerusalemme : Italian for Jerusalem

The new post office of Castelló de la Plana (picture late January 2023) opened on 30 March 2022, when the old one shown in the previous post was closed.