Post och Tullhuset

Åland Archipelago


Designed by German architect CL Engel, Storby’s Post & Customs House is now a hub for local artists, with exhibitions, artisan shops and a terrific cafe. The grand building was completed in 1828, during the era of Russian Tsar Alexander I, as a show of might to Sweden (as Åland was the Russian Empire's westernmost extremity at the time). It was a crucial point on the Sweden–Finland Mail Rd, detailed in the one-roomed mailboat museum.

Between 1638 and 1895, local farmers were called upon to transport thousands of letters each week across the Åland sea. The most treacherous time was early spring, when the sea ice broke. During the years the Mail Rd operated, 200 men from Eckerö died while undertaking postal service.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Åland Archipelago attractions

1. Ålands Jakt och Fiskemuseum

0.85 MILES

Overlooking Käringsund harbour, the Hunting & Fishing Museum addresses the role of these two activities in the history and culture of the Åland islands…

2. Käringsund Harbour

0.87 MILES

About 2km north of Storby, Käringsund harbour is delightfully picturesque, with rustic red wooden boathouses reflected in the calm waters. A nature trail…

3. Degersand

4.91 MILES

Åland's rocky coastline doesn't often allow for good swimming beaches, but here's an exception – a long, pristine stretch of fine white sand that has been…

4. Sankta Catharina Kyrka

6.85 MILES

Sankta Catharina Kyrka was built in the 13th century, though a fire at the beginning of the 15th century led it to be rebuilt with fresh wall paintings…

5. Sankt Mikael Kyrka

13.65 MILES

Dating from the 1200s, Sankt Mikael Kyrka is the ancient place of worship in Pålsböle, a small village just 5km north of Godby. The church has a well…

6. Sankt Olof Kyrka

14.66 MILES

By some accounts, Sankt Olof Kyrka is the oldest church in Finland, existing (in some form) on this site since the beginning of the 13th century. Some of…

7. Museumship Pommern

15.67 MILES

Anchored just behind the Sjöfartsmuseum, this beautifully preserved, four-masted, merchant barque was built in 1903 in Glasgow, Scotland. The ship once…

8. Sjöfartsmuseum

15.71 MILES

Preserved boats make up most of the exhibitions at this state-of-the-art museum exploring Åland's marine heritage; the centrepiece is a reproduction of a…