So here is another library related stamp – this time from Russia. The definitive features Дом Пашкова of the Russian State Library (Российская государственная библиотека) in Moscow, which is said to be the most beautiful building in the whole city. The postage stamp is one of fifteen from the 1992 to 1995 issued series “Monuments”. The shown one was issued 1995 an is numbered as 6122 by Scott resp. 418 by Michel Catalogue.
The Russian State Library was founded in 1862 as Russias first public library. It is located near the Kremlin in the very center of Moscow. The pictured building “Dom Pashkov” however is older. Is was build from 1784 to 1787 by order of Pjotr Pashkov by the architect Vassily Bazhenov. It was heavily damaged by the big fire of 1812 and rather “decently” reconstructed until it was bought by the state in 1839. After that it was reconstructed more “costly” and became in 1862 the first public museum of Moscow (Rumiantsev Museum). From 1925 it was the home of the Lenin Library, which was renamed in 1992 to its current name. Since 2003 it is – again – in reconstruction which will last approx. till 2008 (more on this can be found here (in Russian)). The face value of the olive green stamp was 750 Ruble. As there was a rebasement of the Russion currency in 1998 I’m not sure whether it is still valid. It would however take some of them to stamp a letter i.e. to Western Europe. The stamp is a really plain and simple one and it’s exactly that fact which makes it to one of my favorites.
Bibliophilately 