26.10.11

Last Post Office closes ....

This week the last independent Post Office in the Netherlands, in Utrecht, closes. It's a beautiful building as we can see from these old postcards:



Post Offices, by tradition and definition, also play a role in financial history. They would physically transfer cash when money was sent via the Post. Also, instruments such as the 'Postwissel' (postal order) would provide a means of sending money to other people, without the need for sending the money itself. This postal order worked either within the country or to people in other countries. 

But, as the Post Offices themselves are closing, with TNT Post and ING choosing their own locations for the delivery of their respective services, the postal order is by now a thing in the past. That is: here in the Netherlands; it is still available in other countries and one can of course always also use the US equivalent... Western Union.

Update as of Friday 28 October: There is a really smashing panorama foto available through ab-c media weblab and thanks to fotographer Frank van der Pol. It's a very nice example of the possibilities of panorama-photography with augmented reality touch.

I am placing a smaller embed here, but you would most certainly want to look fullscreen (right button) and check out the Dutch page of ab-c media weblab that explains all the features and the building.