Cyprus Postal Museum
The Cyprus Postal Museum houses the island's complete postal history through stamps, postmarks, and philatelic materials that document communication systems from the 15th century to today. The museum opened in 1981 and occupies the ground floor of a two-story mansion located within Nicosia's Venetian walls. The building sits in the Laiki Geitonia area at 3B Agiou Savva Street, near the historic churches of Trypiotis and Agios Savvas. The location places visitors in the heart of the old city, where postal services have connected Cyprus to the wider world for centuries. Historical Background The museum was established specifically to preserve and display the extensive collection of the Cyprus Post Office. Materials trace postal communications back to the Venetian period of the 15th century, when organized mail services to and from Cyprus began. Under British rule, Austrian postal branches operated in Cyprus, with one opening in Larnaca in 1864. Various international postal services functioned on the island before the modern system developed. The main exhibition hall focuses on the British Rule period, which shaped Cyprus's modern postal infrastructure. The oldest stamps in the collection feature Queen Victoria's portrait overprinted with the word CYPRUS. British stamps were used initially after Britain took control in 1878, with the first overprinted versions appearing in 1880. Between 1880 and 1888, approximately 1,159,000 stamps were issued under…
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