Jyväskylä was founded in 1837 by Czar Nicholas I, and was practically built from scratch, hence, according to European criteria, is a very new city. But this doesn't prevent it to have a major role as an education centre, occupying the first place in the world to provide education in Finnish. First 3 Finnish-speaking schools in the world were founded here, in Jyväskylä, the lycée in 1858, the teachers’ college in 1863, and the girls’ school in 1864. Elias Lönnrot, the compiler of Kalevala, gave the city the nickname "Athens of Finland".
Located in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland, on the northern coast of Lake Päijänne, 270km north of Helsinki, Jyväskylä has now a population of over 130,000, and boasts its modern architecture, designed mostly by Alvar Aalto, one of the best known international functionalist architects.
As say Auli, in the picture "is the middle of the city, place called Kompassi (Compass, round sign on the street surface)." The compass rose, made of paving stone, marks the intersection of Kauppakatu and Asemakatu streets, and in 2010 it recieved a high-tech upgrade. It signifies that Jyväskylä stands at a crossroads, and for this reason it is not only a great place to meet, but a superb venue for events of all kinds.
In this postcard are seen people, rather than buildings or the city, so it's the kind of image that will be appreciated after 50 years, when the viewers will admire vintage clothing and moving atmosphere.
The gorgeous stamp is the official stamp of the Ice Hockey World Championship 2012 (4-20 May), shared by Finland and Sweden. Issued on March 21, the stamp portray the mascot HockeyBird, and was designed by Lead Artist Toni Kysenius of Rovio Entertainment, which is the Finnish company that created the game Angry Birds.
This is a post for Sunday Stamps #80, run by Viridian from Viridian’s Postcard Blog. Theme of this week is "stamps for the Olympics (this year or previous years), or featuring a sporting activity." You can admire here also a stamp that fits the theme, The Road to London, issued by Australia Post on June 5, 2012. The stamp was cancelled in the first day of issue with the postmark Westminster WA 6061.
Click on the button to visit Viridian’s blog and all the other participants.
References
Jyväskylä – Wikipedia
2012 IIHF Ice Hockey WC stamp – Posti Finland online shop
sender: Auli / AuliHelena (postcrossing)
sent from Jyväskylä (Finland), on 18.06.2012
photo: Raimo Ketola
I think you are right about the postcard - in 50 years it will definitely be appreciated for its vintage appeal! I love thinking about that!
ReplyDeleteI definitely see the resemblance with the Angry Birds here - now I know why! Love the color combination, too, as it represents the national colours of the two countries.
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I'd always assumed the Kalevala was older than that for some reason, learning through postcards! Fun hockey bird. Your link to the Australian card is stunning and in combination with postmark and stamp is a treasure.
ReplyDeleteThe ice hockey stamps is superb. The Road to London stamp shows how much better is the idea behind it than the commercially 'inspired' GB London 2012 logo.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit here the whole Angry birds thing has passed me by completely :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your great post.
this one is brilliant!
ReplyDeleteSuch a cool stamp! I'm glad I'm not the only one who was reminded of the Angry Birds!
ReplyDeleteI can say only that :) . I like more and more this idea of a weekly post about a particular topic.
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