On 4 September, the 2020 stamp booklet invites you to a seasonal stroll in the Esplanade of Mariehamn, the lime tree avenue that has earned the town the epithet “town of the thousand lime trees”. The kilometre-long Esplanade is a popular year-round pedestrian area.
Founded in 1861, the Mariehamn town plan included a north-south and an east-west esplanade. The latter runs from the Western Harbour to the town square in the centre and is today the dominant of the two. Mariehamn Church is located at the intersection of the northern and western esplanades.
Originally filled with alder, birch and pine, the Esplanade is today lined with some 320 common limes (Tilia x europaea). The first lime trees were planted in the early 1900s, a decision that was heatedly debated between those who favoured fine hardwood in straight lines on perfectly manicured lawns and those who advocated the avenue remain a natural meadow. The oldest trees are over 100 years old and stand in the eastern end of the Esplanade, whereas the lime trees closer to the Western Harbour are around 35-40 years old. The trees are now in poor condition, and steps are being taken to ensure revivification.
Several works of art are placed along the Esplanade. The most recent is a 2018 memorial by Juha Pykäläinen to Gunnar and Ellen Eklund, co-founders of shipping company Viking Line. The first day cancel illustrates another stone sculpture erected next to the church in 1991. Ukri Merikanto’s sculpture ‘Anadyomene’ illustrates the theme islands of peace.
