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14.01.2014
Latvijas Pasts celebrates Riga and Umeå as European Capitals of Culture with joint issue of stamps
On Thursday, January 16, 2014, Latvijas Pasts will hold the first day cancellation event for the Latvian-Swedish joint issue of stamps Capitals of Culture 2014. The stamps are released to mark the status of Latvian capital city Riga and Swedish city Umeå as the European Capitals of Culture in 2014. The stamps depict architectural objects significant to each city: the National Library of Latvia in Riga and the contemporary art museum Bildmuseetin Umeå. The first day cancellation event will take place in post office Sakta, 32 Brīvības Boulevard, Riga, from 7:30 AM to 7 PM.
The stamps have been designed as a result of collaboration of the national postal operators of Latvia and Sweden; their design was created by Swedish design agency SGC & LLLL. The first day cover was developed by Latvijas Pasts in collaboration with foundation Riga 2014.
The print run of each stamp is 300,000. The stamp depicting the building of the National Library of Latvia is intended for mailing a regular Class A letter to European Union Member States - its denomination is € 0.78. The stamp featuring the contemporary art museum in Umeå, with a denomination of € 0.50, is suitable for mailing a regular Class B letter within Latvia.
"Stamps serve not only as evidence of payment of postage, but also as national symbols that travel throughout the world. Because of that, Latvijas Pasts attempts to link the themes of the released stamps with events and symbols important to the country, thereby increasing the recognition of Latvia in the world. The year 2014 will undoubtedly become a historic one with the activities of Riga as the European Capital of Culture. We are honored to congratulate not only Riga, but also Umeå with the new stamps," says Latvijas Pasts Chairman of the Board Arnis Salnājs.
"Riga 2014 is the most significant cultural event in the life of our country. It is an opportunity to achieve international recognition of the high class of our cultural values. At the same time, it is a success story of good international cooperation between the 2014 European Capitals of Culture, Riga and Umeå. The Castleof Light, which will open its doors in the beginning of the year of culture, is not only a new symbol in the cultural landscape of Riga, but also an affirmation of our culture in the future," underlines Diāna Čivle, the head of foundation Riga 2014.
Since the beginning of the project in 1985, when Athens became the first European Capital of Culture, already more than 40 European cities have been honored with this designation. In 2014, one Latvian and one Swedish city - Riga and Umeå - were selected as the Capitals of Culture. Throughout the entire year, the residents and guests of Riga will be able to enjoy several hundreds of various events; the opening events of the Riga 2014 program will take place from January 17 to 19.
The first day cover of the Latvian-Swedish joint issue Capitals of Culture 2014 can be viewed here.
The next new philatelic release is scheduled for February 2.
About SJSC Latvijas Pasts
Latvijas Pasts ensures the widest availability of postal services throughout Latvia by maintaining more than 600 post offices. The primary function of the company is provision of the universal postal service; Latvijas Pasts also provides commercial transport, express mail, payment, press subscription, retail and philatelic services. Latvijas Pasts is a wholly state-owned company with more than 4,200 employees.
Additional information:
Zane Plone
Public Relations Specialist
Phone: +371 67608506
E-mail: zane.plone@pasts.lv
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