Eckerö Post and Customs house

Eckerö Post & Customs House was built by the Russian Tsar, who through the building's impressive dimensions wanted to show Sweden which superpower Russia was and also provide a view of the expansive Russia that could be larger. Finland and the Åland Islands came to belong to Russia after the war in 1809 until 1917. The building is currently one of the best preserved buildings by architects Carl Ludvig Engel and Carlo Bassi. During the period of 1953 - 1994 the building served as the state holiday home for postal and telecommunications officials. The fact that the Åland postal service became an independent business company ended this vacation activities1994. The building passed into the possession of the Government of Åland in 1994 and now serves as a cultural building with a cafe and museum as well as cultural happenings. Out on the cliffs of the sea is a memorial to the more than two hundred men who perished in the mail voyages across the Åland sea. Queen Christina´s mailroad 1638 goes between Sweden and the Åland Islands and was for several hundred years the connecting link between the mother country Sweden and the eastern provinces of Finland and the Baltics. An Artist in Residence was founded in 2006 in the building. The Government of Åland provides a guest apartment that will be moving from the main house to the southern wing of the historical Eckerö Post & Customs House, starting from year 2021.