Toll House - Eckerö, Aland Islands - Bygone Toll Houses on Waymarking.com

Eckerö Post- and Toll House was opened in 1828 during the reign of Tsar Nikolai I, when the Aland Islands were under Russian rule.

The post office replaced an earlier postal route from Sweden to Finland. The postal route was established in 1658 and took place by boat from Grisslehamn in Sweden to Storby on the Aland Islands. The post was then transported by horse-drawn carriage on the postal route across the Aland Islands and again sailed on to Gustav's parish on the Finnish mainland. Before the post was sent on across the island it had to go through customs.

The building, which is very pompous, was designed by the architect Carl Ludvig Engel and is one of the best preserved empire buildings in Finland.
The building is inside divided by a wall, one part of which was the toll building and the other part was the post office. In addition to serving as offices, the building also housed 2 apartments, one for both the postmaster and the customs officer.

On the Aland Islands, the town of Mariehamn was established in 1861 and a steamship route now sailed between Stockholm in Sweden, via Mariehamn and to Turku in Finland. As a result, the post was sent this way and the activities at the post- and toll office in Eckerö dropped considerably. The postal service's head office was moved to Mariehamn in 1875 and that function in Eckerö ceased completely. The last postal operator lived in the residence from 1899 to 1935.
The last customs officer, who took office in 1897, lived in the official residence until his death in 1922

However, the post and toll building has been the subject of many events over time.
Both in 1834 and in 1848, part of the building was used as a quarantine hospital for cholera patients.
From 1882 to 1900 there was also a telegraph station in the building.
During the First World War, stationed Russian soldiers had accommodation in the Eckerö Post & Customs building for shorter periods. In 1918, the buildings were besieged by German soldiers.
During the Second World War, Finnish soldiers were quartered to protect the Aland Islands from invasion.
In the late 1950s, the buildings were renovated and converted for use as a summer house for postal and customs employees.
A cafe and pottery workshop/shop were added in the north wing during the 1980s.
The buildings was listed in 2018 and now function as a museum and exhibition of local art.

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