National museums of communication and postal service in postal miniature of Germany, France and Russia

Abstract

In the second half of the 19th century, almost simultaneously with the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874, postal museums began to open across Europe. The first postal museums opened in the UPU founding countries — Germany and Russia. The objectives and concepts of these museums were presented differently to their organizers. In Germany they tried to cover the history of the world mail, in Russia — the development of telegraph, as the most modern means of communication, and France — demonstrated a desire to become the capital of typology. The creation of postal museums, which were seen not only as cultural phenomena but also as a national strategic element, also involved national governments (or their departments). The Second World War changed not only philatelic themes, but also influenced changes in display activities. Today there are postal museums in virtually every country in the world, but not every philatelic production reflects the stages of their creation and development. Images of world postal museums, their creators and exhibits in the Timbrology media space emphasize that postage stamps, in addition to their main purpose — payment for postal messages, perform supplementary functions — advertising and educational.