On the 21st of July 2023, Latvijas Pasts releases a new stamp in the series Latvian Museums: this year’s special issue is dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation. On the new stamp, the artist Arta Ozola-Jaunarāja depicted several valuable exhibits from the museum’s collection, as well as the portrait of Nikolaus von Himsel, collector and founding father of Latvian museology, whose collection of natural science and art objects led to the foundation of the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation. The first day cancellation of the stamp is scheduled to take place at the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, 4 Palasta Street, Riga, from 12 PM to 4 PM on the 21st of July 2023. A special presentation of the stamp, which is scheduled to start at 1 PM, will see the participation of representatives of Latvijas Pasts and the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation.
The print run of the stamp Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation – 250 is 50,000 copies. Its face value is €1.65, which corresponds to the postage of letter-post items weighing up to 20 grams in Latvia. The release of the stamp is accompanied by the issue of a special cover with a print run of 500 copies. The stamp and cover have been designed by the artist A. Ozola-Jaunarāja.
The artist created the composition of the new stamp, including in it the portrait of Nikolaus von Himsel (1729–1764), a doctor and collector from Riga, as well as objects symbolising the beginnings of the museum. It features chess pieces carved in ivory (19th century, China) with the identification mark of the Himsel Museum collection: a lithographically printed inscription Himselsches Museum. The composition of the stamp is complemented by the coin Riga Free City Silver Ferding (1565), the 17th-century wooden sculpture Hemp Sorter, as well as a historical hourglass as a symbol of the continuous passage of time.
Mārcis Vilcāns, Chairman of the Board of Latvijas Pasts, points out, “We can be proud that our historical values, stories and heritage have been carefully preserved, nurtured and protected through hundreds of years. Paying tribute to the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation on such an important anniversary, it is a true pleasure to release a stamp that reflects the museum’s spirit of research, cultural exchange and discoveries. It is our hope that this stamp will become a lasting message of this time and delight its recipients both in Latvia and across the borders.”
According to Liene Johansone-Kuzmina, Director of the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation: “The 250thanniversary of the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation is an important event for the whole of Latvia, because it reminds the public of the fact that we can all be proud that progressive people lived in Riga in the 18thcentury, who supported the creation of the first public museum in the Baltic area in 1773, thus ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage in the form of various collections, which have enabled us to gain awareness and a deeper understanding of our history, culture and values for centuries. As a result of collaboration with Latvijas Pasts, we have created a stamp that will mark the fact of the museum’s anniversary, demonstrating that these values continue to be relevant and important to society. While the museum has always been changing and alive, the images depicted on the stamp symbolically remind us how important the very fact of the museum’s origins and the contribution of its collections to society are today as well.”
The Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation is located at 4 Palasta Street, Riga. The museum is the oldest museum in the Baltics, as well as one of the oldest museums open to the public in Europe. On the 22nd of February 1773, the Riga City Council adopted a historic decision to approve the establishment of a public museum in Riga, naming it the Himsel Museum (Himselsches Museum), which was the beginning of today’s Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation. The basis of the decision was the will of Riga doctor Nikolaus von Himsel to hand over the private cabinet of natural and art objects for public viewing and education. Today, the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation is one of the largest and most important repositories of Latvia’s cultural and historical heritage. The museum’s collection currently holds more than 600,000 objects, systematised in 75 collections.
