Latvijas Pasts dedicates a special cover to the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way

22.08.2024

The 23^rd of August this year marks 35 years since the world witnessed the most ambitious and non-violent resistance action in the history of the 20^th century, the Baltic Way. To commemorate the historical significance of this event, Latvijas Pasts releases a special cover and postmark.

The special cancellation of the cover is scheduled to take place in the premises of the National Archives of Latvia, 11 Skunu Street, Riga, from 10 AM to 3 PM.

The print run of the cover dedicated to the 35^th anniversary of the Baltic Way is 500 copies. The cover and the postmark have been designed by the artist Ģirts Grīva. The visual design of the cover is based on a photograph by H. Leppikson from the National Archives of Estonia, a photograph by H. Burmeistars from the National Archives of Latvia and a photograph by J. Juknevičius from the Lithuanian Central State Archives. In addition, the cover features a personalised stamp that was created using a photograph by V. Mihailovskis from a private archive.

On the evening of the 23^rd of August 1989, a continuous chain of approximately two million people holding hands formed a more than 670-kilometre-long connection between the three Baltic capitals. It started in Tallinn at the foot of Toompea Castle and proceeded through Riga, passing the Freedom Monument, to Gediminas’ Tower in Vilnius.

The non-violent demonstration of protest and solidarity took place on the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the 1939 German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact and its secret additional protocols, which led to the division of the spheres of influence in Eastern Europe and the subsequent occupation and annexation of the Baltic states. The Baltic Way became one of the most ambitious, non-violent resistance actions in the history of the 20^th century.

In 2009, the nomination of the documentary heritage, The Baltic Way – A Human Chain Linking Three States in Their Drive for Freedom, jointly prepared by Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, was inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

Latvijas Pasts began releasing stamps and special philatelic materials to commemorate the Baltic Way back in 1999, when the Baltic Way stamp and stamp block were issued. In 2009, a special cover was dedicated to the 20^th anniversary of the Baltic Way, while in 2014, a stamp and stamp block titled Baltic Way – 25 were released.

The new stamp will first be available for purchase at the post offices of the largest cities and in the e-shop of Latvijas Pasts https://veikals.pasts.lv/.

The next philatelic release is scheduled for the 6^th of September.

Philatelic works issued by Latvijas Pasts are highly valued both among the customers and philatelic collectors and experts. Based on stringently regulated standards, international associations of collectors of philatelic materials have determined that the stamps issued by Latvijas Pasts are on par with the philatelic releases issued by the largest countries in the world. As a result, these stamps are routinely included both in the catalogues of philatelic releases recognised around the world and in the collections of prestigious collectors.

Par VAS Latvijas Pasts  

Latvijas Pasts is a state-owned company that operates in the fields of postal services, logistics and payment services. The company specialises in domestic and international deliveries, ranging from e-commerce and parcels to press, letter-post items and personalised logistics solutions. Latvijas Pasts provides services to both private individuals and business customers, utilising reliable air, water and land transit connections. The national postal operator employs approximately 2,200 people on its team.

Latvijas Pasts takes care of the customer experience at more than 155 post offices. The company is consistently introducing innovations and modern technologies, developing the country’s largest parcel machine coverage in 500 locations. The vision of Latvijas Pasts is to become the first choice of every Latvian resident for mail service.

Additional information:

Laila Kļaviņa | Head of Communications and Philately

E-mail: pr@pasts.lv, laila.klavina@pasts.lv

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