150th Anniversary of Mariehamn, Russia-Aland joint issue

In 2011, the joint launch of the Russian Federation and the Aland Islands is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the foundation of Mariehamn - the capital of the Aland Islands. It's the smallest of all the Scandinavian capitals, but the third largest port in Finland. It is home to more than half of the total population of the archipelago.

The history of Mariehamn (translated from Swedish - "Maria's Harbour") is connected to the Crimean War, which determined the fate of Aland as demilitarized islands. After the war, the local inhabitants turned to Alexander II a petition about the foundation on the main island of a port city, which was suggested to call in honor of the Emperor's wife Maria Alexandrovna. Tsar's manifesto from February 4, 1859 permitted the foundation of Mariehamn, a diploma signed on Feb. 20, 1861 establishes the status of the city.

The stamp depicts the map of Mariehamn and the portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna (1857) painted by F. Winterhalter from the Hermitage Museum collection.