300th Anniversary of the Founding of Raahe

Raahe is a town in Northern Finland on the Bothnian Bay. It is situated between two diversified industrial regions, Ylivieska and Oulu, next to the main high way and the railway routes. Raahe´s logistical location is excellent. The Port of Raahe operates all year round and it is one of the busiest ports in Finland. The distance to the international airport of Oulu is 75 kilometres. It has a great maritime history. Count Pehr Brahe, Queen Kristina´s govenor general in Finland, discovered the first Raahe harbour and founded the town by the name of Salo in 1649. In the year of 1652 the name was changed to Brahestad and later on to Raahe. The Old Town of Raahe is one of the best preserved wooden towns in Finland. The Old Town is a lively part of Raahe. Trade and shipping in Raahe have a long history, they were people´s main livelihood sources until the establishment of Rautaruukki Steelworks in early 1960´s. Rautaruukki was established in municipality of Saloinen. Metal industry in Raahe region works in cooperation. A good example of joint cooperation is Steelpolis Group. Raahe is also getting new strength from research. Raahe has always been a school town, but especially today it is a town of know-how regarding high technology (ICT). Over 1 000 students study in Oulu Polytechnic, Computer Engineering unit in Raahe.

In Raahe you can feel the presence of the sea - a placid expanse of snow in winter and blue paradise in summer. Welcome to Raahe, the Town of Sea Winds. This FDC was issued on  13.8.1949. The Church of Raahe is pictured on the stamp. And the statue of founder W. Runeberg. is shown on the cover. This nice FDC was sent to me by Pia.

Finland celebrates 400th Anniversary of publication New Testament 2.10.1948

Translation of the New Testament into Finnish and development of a Finnish grammar was made by Mikael Agricola (1510-1557), Bishop of Turku, leader of the Reformation in Finland. To commemorate this important event. A First Day cover was issued in conjunction with these two stamps on 2.10.1948. My dear friend Pia gave me this FDC.
Mikael Agricola was a great advocate of Lutheranism, is considered the father of Finnish literature. His ABC-book published 1538 is the first known book in Finnish, but the translation of New Testament (1548) is his greatest achievement. The New Testament, also referred to as the "Christian Greek Scriptures", is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament.
Unlike the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, of which Christians hold different views, the contents of the New Testament deal explicitly with 1st century Christianity, although both the Old and New Testament are regarded, together, as Sacred Scripture. The New Testament has therefore (in whole or in part) frequently accompanied the spread of Christianity around the world, and both reflects and serves as a source for Christian theology. Phrases as well as extended readings directly from the New Testament are also incorporated (along with readings from the Old Testament) into the various Christian liturgies. The New Testament has influenced not only religious, philosophical, and political movements in the Christian world, but also left an indelible mark on its literature, art, and music. The New Testament is an anthology, a collection of works written at different times by various authors. In almost all Christian traditions today, the New Testament consists of 27 books. The original texts were written beginning around AD 50 in Koine Greek, the lingua franca of the eastern part of the Roman Empire where they were composed. All of the works which would eventually be incorporated into the New Testament would seem to have been written no later than the mid-2nd century.

600th Anniversary of the City of Porvoo3.12.1946

Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century. Porvoo is the seat of the Swedish speaking Diocese of Borgå of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The town received its name from a Swedish earth fortress near the river Porvoonjoki which flows through the town. The name Porvoo is the Fennicised version of the Swedish name (Borgå) and its parts of borg meaning "castle" and å "river". Porvoo was first mentioned in documents in the early 14th century, and Porvoo was given city rights around 1380, even though according to some sources the city was founded in 1346. The old city of Porvoo was formally disestablished and the new city of Porvoo founded in 1997 when the city of Porvoo and the Rural municipality of Porvoo were consolidated. When Sweden lost the city of Viborg to Russia in 1721, the episcopal seat was moved to Porvoo. At this time, Porvoo was the second largest city in Finland. After the conquest of Finland by Russian armies in 1808 Sweden had to cede Finland to Russia in 1809 (the Treaty of Fredrikshamn). The Diet of Porvoo in 1809 was a landmark in the History of Finland. The Tsar Alexander I confirmed the new Finnish constitution (which was essentially the Swedish constitution from 1772), and made Finland an autonomous Grand Duchy.

The Porvoo Common Statement is a report issued at the conclusion of theological conversations by official representatives of four Anglican Churches and eight Nordic and Baltic Lutheran Churches in 1989–1992. It established the Porvoo Communion, so named after the Porvoo Cathedral where the Eucharist was celebrated on the final Sunday of the conversations leading to the Statement. My dear friend Pia gave me this FDC which was issued on 3.12.1946 to commemorate the 600^th Anniversary of the City.

Semi Postal Issues & Fund Raisers

I am displaying here two First Day Covers with stamps which were issued soon after the Second World War. These stamps are semi-postal issues. These were also used as Fund Raisers. The first one for the Red Cross and the other for the anti-tuberculosis programme. These two historical FDCs were given to me by Pia.
Red Cross 1946
The stamps on this cover were devoted to Children’s Clinics. The stamps from left to right feature traditional Finnish fishermen at work; a woman peasant churning milk; a hayman sharpening his scythe; and finally Finnish log workers.
Anti tuberculosis 1947

The stamps on this cover were also devoted to Children’s Cinics, and highlighted the need fo Prevention of tuberculosis and Medical examinatin of infants. The stamps depict baby stretching exercise and various infant rxercises. Of interest is also the 12+3mk postage stamp depicting Mrs. Ali Paasikivi, wife of the then Finnish President J.K. Paasikivi, who showed a special interest in children’s tuberculosis.

President Juho Kusti Paasikivi

Juho Kusti Paasikivi (November 27, 1870 – December 14, 1956) was the seventh President of Finland. Representing the Finnish Party and the National Coalition Party, he also served as Prime Minister of Finland (1918 and 1944–1946), and was generally an influential figure in Finnish economics and politics for over fifty years. He is particularly remembered as the main architect of Finland's foreign policy after the Second World War. He was born as Johan Gustaf Hellsten in 1870 at Hämeenkoski in Päijänn, Tavastia in Southern Finland, the son of August Hellsten, a merchant, and Karolina Wilhelmina Selin. He Finnicized his name to Juho Kusti Paasikivi in 1885. Pia sent me this FDC. (1946–1956).

Finland - 200th Anniversary of fortress Suomenlinna

This Fdc and the stamps on it were issued on 15^th October 1948 on The 200^th Anniversary of Helsinki’s Sea Fortress. Suomenlinna's history is closely entwined with that of Finland and the Baltic region. Helsinki can also thank Suomenlinna for its early growth and prosperity. The fortress was built in the 18th century to fortify defences at the eastern part of the Swedish Empire. After the fortress fell under Russian rule at the beginning of the 19th century, its role was to guard the shipping channels to St. Petersburg. The Swedish maritime fortress helped Helsinki to grow into a significant city which became the capital of Finland in 1812 when the country was an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. The fortress was built on virtually barren islands. Today, nature in Suomenlinna is extremely diverse. The scenery ranges from parks, yards and herb gardens to natural beaches, wild meadows and earth-filled sandbanks. The islands are surrounded by sea and bordered by cliffs and sandbanks.

Construction of Suomenlinna Fortress began in 1748 by Sweden. It was built on six islands, and took about 40 years to be completed. The fortress was surrendered to Russia in 1808. The Russians ruled the place for 110 years. The fortress was called Sveaborg (or Viapori in Finnish), the Fortress of Sweden. But in 1918, the next year of Finnish independence from Russia, it was officially renamed to Suomenlinna, the Castle of Finland. It is a popular tourist attraction nowadays, and ferry-boats are plied regularly between Suomenlinna and Helsinki harbor all year round. The Fortress was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1991. Thank you My Dear Friend Pia for this nice FDC.

Finland – 250th Anniversary 19.9.1949

The stamp on this cover was issued on 19.09.1946 to mark the 250^th Anniversary of the Finnish Pilotage service. In September 1696 King Charles of Sweded signed an ordinance of pilotage, which combined Southern Finland with the Swedish Pilotage Organisation. A bit of history at this point won’t be out of place. Finland was historically a part of Sweden, and from 1809 onwards, an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire.Finland was declared independent from Russia in 1917. “Sweden – Finland” is an outdated Finnish term referring to the Swedish Kingdom from the Kalmar Union to the Napoleopnic wars, or the period from the 14^th to the 18^th Century.

The first lighthouse in Finland was built on Utö in 1753. The round lighthouse building was blown up during the Swedish - Russian war of 1808 - 1809. The present lighthouse was built in 1814 under the supervision of Chief Pilot Gustav Brodd. The lantern and the lights have been modernized several times. Utö was also attacked during the First World War. This time it was battleships from the Imperial German navy that attacked Utö in 1915. Among the casualties were one telegraphist and two wounded gunners. The present lens was installed in 1906. At the entrance to the lighthouse there are two memorial plaques. One of them is in memory of the battleship ´Ilmarinen´, which in 1941 ran into a Soviet mine outside Utö and sank. The other describes the attack of the Soviet army on the Utö fort in the beginning of the Winter War in 1939. The Utö fort held out against two Soviet battleships. One of them presumably sank. Brita very kindly sent me this historical cover.