These three maxicards and the stamps on them represent a high level nostalgia. The three stamps feature memorable and
beloved buildings all to be found in Mariehamn in past times. Former town architect Folke Wickstrom has
drawn the motifs.
1. Originally, Societetshuset (a club house generally
known as Socis) was a school building that was dismantled and moved to
Mariehamn in 1870. From the start, the building served as a hotel, town hall
and restaurant. During Socis' more than 100 years of existence it had several
periods of golden days and many different owners. Regardless of many protests,
the demolition of Socis was carried through in June 1975, the then town
architect and current stamp artist Folke Wickstrom being one of the protesters.
2. Miramar was erected in 1890 as a summer
house for Nicolai Nystrom, son-in-law of Nicolai Sittkoff, a well-known
tradesman in Aland. Commandeered by soldiers during both World Wars, first by
the Russians and later by the Finns, Miramar was turned into a soldiers'
gambling home. In the 1930s, the house served as a dance palace and meeting
place and was later to become a restaurant. Inspections performed by the
authorities found inadequate fire security as well as spa and sanitary defects,
and the house was demolished in October 1973.
3. The Badhotellet (spa hotel). Launched as a spa resort at the
end of the 1800s, Mariehamn was to become one of the most modern resorts in
Europe. At the turn of the 20th century, the establishment was at its largest
with facilities for hot baths and swimming, a restaurant with assembly room, a
medical centre, a gymnasium, a doctor's house and a spa hotel. The end of the
1914 season also saw the end of the spa era as World War I broke out. The hotel
burnt down to the ground in February 1916, probably due to an overheated
heater.
This nice set of three maxicards was sent to me by
my friend Ella.
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