Thanks to museums and exhibitions, everyone knows how people lived in the past, what our ancestors did and created, what plants and animals exist, what the universe looks like, and what is at the center of the earth. Sometimes we are so fascinated by something unusual and rare that we miss the simple things we know so little about. For example, the history of the postal system. Not everyone can tell us how letters and parcels were delivered earlier, when and why stamps appeared, and where the first postal museum was opened. But it's so easy to fix – just go on an unforgettable trip to Ordino, the town of museums, in the north of the Principality of Andorra.
The first Postal Museum was opened in the state capital, in a building called Casa de la Vall. The reason for this was an exhibition in 1982 dedicated to the history of the Andorra Post Office. It was such an unprecedented success that the government, together with the French and Spanish Post Offices, decided to set up a permanent thematic museum. In the same year, it was officially opened to the general public. The first museum comprised an extensive collection of rare, intricately carved and embossed stamps with images of flora and fauna, monuments, and famous personalities.
In 1991, the museum's activities were suspended as the building was given to the Parliament of Andorra (it still is there today). A new home for the valuable stamp collection was the former old restaurant Raser Borda in Ordino. It was specially restored to house the exhibits. In 1998, the Postal Museum was officially opened.
Its interior is decorated in a modern and original style: all the exhibits are placed inside the faces of square columns of deep blue. The museum's stamp collection has more than 50,000 pieces, the oldest of which date back to 1928. You can also learn about the evolution of the stamp making and printing process from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.