- Greetings from Reval, Tallinn, Revel
Other places:
- Kuressaare or Arensburg
- Greetings from ...Pärnu, Pernau, Pernov
- Another church-letter: Põltsamaa
- Türi-Alliku
TALLINN
Other places:
 In English Baedeker of 1914 we read about Reval: ".., the capital of the government of Esthonia, contains 132,000 inhab. and is picturesquely situated on a bay of the Gulf of Finland." | A nice card with view on tsaristic Revel, the Estonian Tallinn. Also in the postmark -here below- is used РЕВЕЛЪ (REVEL), seems more on the German indication Reval. Revel is in this period capital of the government ЭСТЛЯНДСКАЯ (EHSTLYANDSKAYA) ГУБЕРНIЯ (GUBERNIYA), Estonian Government. The postmark, resized 50 %:  |
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This postmark, 25 VII 1903, of 'crossed date'-type with distinguishing-number '2' was in use 1900-1904. The adress-side. Original print size of this image: 14,207 x 9,152 cm (is something more as the postal item) This picture and all pictures below on this page, if not mentioned otherwise: scanned about 300 dpi. Then set right and cut out - noted the actual print size-, resized 25 % of this image and saved as jpg. |
Literature:
As aboved mentioned, Revel (Tallinn) was capital of the Russian Governement Estonia, now the northern part of Estonia. The southern part of contemporary Estonia was is tsaristic times the northern part of the government Livonia.
On the dutch map below, printed 1880, you see the the borders of the tsaristic government Estonia and the northern part of Livonia.
| Detail of a map from 'Wereld-Atlas voor kantoor en huiskamer / door J. Kuyper. - 1e Deel Europa. - Amsterdam : G.L. Funke, 1880 This picture is resized 50 % |
Numerical dot cancel of Revel: 1858-1863
 Resized 50 % |
With the introduction of postage stamps -1 January 1858- also the necessity of cancellation comes into existence. In the beginning postmarks of the former period were still used for the date on the backside of the cover in combination with 'cancelling' by a writtencross in black ink. Of course this was not efficient and the cancellation could be removes for re-using the postage stamp until the introduction of number-cancellations. The numbers "1" and "2" in circles of dots were introduced as number-cancellations for St. Petersburg and Moscow in circular no. 138 of 26 february 1858. The other towns had to use the old postmarks until the coming of new cancels.Circular no. 1847 of 31May 1858 introduced these kind of cancellations for whole Russia. The circular no. 157 of 17 august 1858 gives more details. |
A number (3 to 60) surrounded by points in the form of three concentric circles belongs to capitals of "guberniya", centers of districts, centers of militar districts, S.Petersburg and Moscow.
The postmark above: #37 belongs to Revel (Tallinn) as capital of Estlyandskaya guberniya
For cancellation of postage stamps were used then the new number-cancellations, but sometimes the hand written cross and older datestamps from the time before the postage stamps.
With the circular no. 53 of 12 April 1860 were introduced the new standard-postmarks in whole Russia. With the introduction a regulation ordered that the cancellation of the postage stamps must be done by the number-postmark, and the date-indication by the new one-circle standard-postmark.
The number-dot cancellations were withdrew by circular 123 of 11 February 1863.
The new one-circle standard-postmark
After 1860: the new one-ring-postmarks with only cyrillic letters (only Moscow and St. Petersburg got a double-ring-postmark) were introduced, first only as date-stamp (in combination with the numeral cancel), and soon as cancellation of the postage stamp.
At the top the place name, under it the month in cyrillic letters, underneath that the year. At the bottom an ornament. In smaller places the name of government came in the place of the ornament, but Revel (Tallinn) was also the capital of the government and so it held the ornament.
In later postmarks is at the bottom is more information: ПОЧТОВАЯ КОНТОРА (POCHTOVAYA KONTORA = Post office).
Until 1884 this was a type of post office, which served a large town, and was under direct control of the Chief Office (Pochtamt) of the postal district.
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More postmarks are used on this card, sent from Revel to Pernov in 1888: cancelled with the postmark of the railway postoffice in the Baltic Railway station (8 ), also on the card the standard one circle datestamp (9), the postmark of the TPO -travelling railway office- of line 39, and the arrival-postmark of Pernov, the Estonian Pärnu Original print size of this image: 14,309 x 9,102 cm (is something more as the postal item) |
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In the standard postmark of Revel - on this picture the left one, 9 НОЯ (NOYA.) 1888- is at the bottom indicated ГУБ. (GUB.) ПОЧ. (POCHT.) КОНТ. (KONT.), short for Guberniya Pochtovo Kontora, Government Postoffice. НОЯ (NOYA.) is short for НОЯБР (NOYABR), November. The month in the postmark above is still in cyrillic letters and the year remains directly under the month. The other postmark - the right one 8 НОЯ (NOYA.) is the postmark of of the railway-postoffice in the Baltic railway station in Revel The Baltic Railway station in Tallinn: picture see Tallinn in the Estonian Republic 1914-1918 |  |
TPO, travelling Post Office, line 39-40
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This postmark on the card is a railpost-postmark of TPO, travelling post office, line 39. This postmark is used 1883-1891 for the line St. Petersburg-Revel. No. 40 was used for the other direction: Revel-St.Petersburg In 1870 the railway between St. Petersburg and Estonia is opened and 24 Oktober the TPO 39-40 started. |
TPO route 39:
Route 40: opposite sirection
Literature about postal railway-line 39-40:
From june 1884 there were also two new types of offices: the Post-telegraph Office (Pochtovo-Telegrafnaya Kontora), as we have seen here, for a greater city, and a Post-Telegrapyh Sub-Office (Pochtovo-Telegrafnoe Otdelenie). These offices combined both services: post and telegraph.
In june 1884 the postal and telegraph departments were united. In the beginning of the telegraph (since 1866) there were scarcely connections between the post and telegraph, but it was too expensive to let it separated.
The later postmarks of Revel then gives more information than the early one-ring-postmarks: at the bottom is indicated, ПОЧ. (POCHT.) ТЕЛ. (TEL.) КОНТ. (KONT.), short for Pochtovo Telegrafnaya Kontora, Post-telegraph office. See below an example of Kuressaare/Arensburg.
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In circular 13 of 5 April 1890 the instruction arrived to use Roman numerals for new stamps. This happened on suggestion of the U.P.U., the Universal Postal Union. Also the postmarks in Russia change in the 'crossed date'-type. In the middle the day stays first, under it the month (in Roman numerals), left of the whole the century and right the rest of the year.This type you see on the first card on this page with distinguishing-number '2', but more clear on this card alongside with distinguishing-number '5', in use 1901-1906. Original print size of this image: 14,105 x 9,254 cm (is something more as the postal item) |
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The other side of the card: The postmark, resized 50 %:  |
On 3 February 1903 the double-ring date-stamps: see below Kuressaare.
KURESSAARE
| On the postmark you see the name АРЕНСБУРГ Ъ (ARENSBURG), in the tsaristic period the indication for the Estonian Kuressaare. Kuressaare was the main place on the island Saarema. This island (with the german name Ösel) belonged -as you can see on the map above- to the government Livonia. The postmark, resized 50 %:  |  Letter, postal stationery 7 kop., sent from АРЕНСБУРГ Ъ (ARENSBURG) 12 October 1890 to РЕВЕЛЪ (REVEL), in Estonian Tallinn. On the backside is placed the arrival-stamp of Revel 14 Oktober 1890. Original print size of this image: 14,740 x 12,276 cm (is something more as the postal item) |
In June 1884 the departments for the Post and voor the Telegraph were united. This we find back in the new circle date-stamps -here above- with at the bottom the rang of the post-office: ПОЧ. (POCHT.) ТЕЛ. (TEL.) КОНТ. (KONT.), short for Pochtovo Telegrafnaya Kontora, Post-telegraph office.
A regulation from the second half of the 19th century ordered that every post-office must have at least two stamps: one with 'normal' size (about 26 mm) for cancellation of the postage stamps and one more 'little'. The little postmark was intended for receipts and so on, but is sometimes used instead of the normal postmark. In Arensburg the normal postmark had distinguishing-number '1' (in use 1889-1901)-as on the letter above-, and the liitle postmark number '2' (in use 1889-1899).
The date is in three lines: day, abbrevation of month in cyrillic, year.
In these postmarks of Arensburg -here not so clear to see- is also indicated the government: ЛИФЛ. Г. (LIFL. G.), short for Liflyandskaya Guberniya, Livonia Government. The capital of this government was Riga.
In a circular of 5 april 1890 -also for Arensburg- were introduced new 'cross-date' -postmarks. For Arensburg these type is used 1901-1906.
| On 3 February 1903 the double-ring date-stamps were introduced, with the bridge-date: day, montyh and year. The century is not indicated and the month is in arabic numerals. On the card here the new type postmark is used. The picure is also very nice: the castle of Arensburg or Kuressaare. Original print size of this image: 14,029 x 9,203 cm (is something more as the postal item) |  |
On the backside - the cars is sent to Belgium- we see the postmark more clear.
 | The backside of the card: |
There is used (1904-1916) also a double-circle datestamp of this type with distinguishing-letter 'a'.
There is another type double-circle datestamp with more thick lines above and under the date and used with four different distinguishing-letters:
 | with the letter 'v' or 'w', the third letter of the Russian alphabet |
 | with the letter 'g', the fourth letter of the Russian alphabet. |
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Here we see a cardsent from Arensburg and with a double-circle postmark. Here we are more intersted in the picture of the 'Neue Heil- und Sclammbadeanstalt'. In the middle of the 19th century Arensburg became famous as health resort and there were built three hydropathics (1840, 1876 and 1883). Here you could get a 'Schlammbad', a mudbath. Original print size of this image: 14,029 x 9,101 cm (is something more as the postal item) |
 | In a travel guide of this time 'Das Bad Arensburg auf der Insel Oesel : mit Karte und Plan : ein Rathgeber für Curgäste' (1880) the composition od the mud is described. The most important parts were of course water - 395,61 per 1000 gram, and silicates (earth, iron oxide, lime, caustic soda, sand) - 531,34 per 1000 gram. Further: ferric sulphide (25,75), organic substances (22,16), ..... |
In 1918 the new name for Arensburg is introduced: Kuressaare. The old name sounded too 'German'. The new name we see then also in the postmarks: see Kuressaare in the Estonian Republic 1914-1918
Literature:
PÄRNU
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'Gruss aus Pernau' or 'Greeting from Pernau'. Pernov was located in the north of government Livonia, as you can see on the map above. In German the names is Pernau, in Estonian the name is Pärnu. Original print size of this image: 14,111 x 9,127 cm (is something more as the postal item) |
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As you can see in the postmark below, the Russian name was ПЕРОВЪ (PERNOV). |
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Also from ПЕРОВЪ (PERNOV): a frank-free letter. In tsaristic Russia many institutions had free-frank privilege. Mr. Werbizky describes in an article 'Rules dealing with the Postal Service', chapter IX 'Free-frank Postal sendings, mailed inside the empire' (St. Petersburg, 1909). Here is given a list of institutions with the privilege of frank-free mail. Also religious institutions had no need to buy stamps. Original print size of this image: 18,855 x 8,873 cm (is something more as the postal item) |  |
| Free-frank letters must have a postmark or sealing label from which it was clear that the sender has right on frank-free sendings. Sometimes the mention of sender makes it clear that there is right on free of charge delivering of the letter. More about this subject: | The postmark, resized 50 % |
| Here you see the church-postmark, resized 50 %, on the backside of this letter. It seems a little with the domes on a orthodox church (?). This letter was folded and so put together, so we have also the content. Here below the text, signed by a priest. In the text is mentioned "I have the honout to inform.......in the John The Baptist-church the following persons from your parish have done confession of the Holy Secrets", and then the data of these two persons. |  |
 | Resized 35 % |
| Another church-letter: Põltsamaa This church-letter from the territory of the later Estonia, is sent to Kupffer in Walk. The postmark on the address-side gives as departure-date 3-8-1892 from ОБЕРПАЛЕНЪ (OBERPALEN). The Estonian indication of this place is Põltsamaa. This place was located in the northern part of the government Livonia. Here is used a so-called 'cross-date-stamp', with the month in roman numerals. On the Lisbon-congress of the UPA was recommended to mention the moth in roman numerals. With the circular nr. 13 of 5 April 1890 these new postmarks were introduced. Original print size of this image: 16,417 x 9,330 cm (is something more as the postal item) |  |
| In the postmark of ОБЕРПАЛЕНЪ (OBERPALEN), resized here 50 %, is also mentioned -short- the government: ЛИФЛЯНДСКАЯ ГУБ. (LIFLYANDSKAYA GUB.), Livonia Gov. |  |
| On the backside of the letter we see a clear church-stamp and we can read here the German name Oberpalen: 'SIGILLU ... ECCLESIE OBERPLENSIS'. The church-stap, resized 50 %:  |  |
| On the backside also the arrival postmark, resized here 50 %, of ВАЛКЪ (WALK or VALK), also with the government-indication of Livonia. This city is in 1918 divided between Estonia -with the name Valga- and Latvia - with the name Valka. The river Konnabach was the border. The content of the letter is in German and is concerned with some liturgical matters, particularly the Lord's Supper. |  |
TÜRI-ALLIKU
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Türi-Alliku is the Estonian name for this place in the tsaristic government Estonia. The Russian name АЛЛЕНКЮЛЪ (ALLENKYUL) is more similar to the German name Allenküll.
Original print size of this image: 14,182 x 9,254 cm (is something more as the postal item) This double circle date-stamp of ALLENKYUL - with three stars- was in use 1906-1918. The postmark is something unclear, bur it cannot be ANNENKYUL (Anik%#252la in Estonian), because this is not been a postoffice in this time. There is one other tsaristic date-stamp of ALLENKYUL (Türi-Alliku), also double circle, with two stars and 'a' and the indication of the government Estonia, in use 1910-1918. |
 | The other side of the card, and here below the postmark, resized 50 %: |
