Chiang Mai Philatelic Museum

Museum housed in the building of the former central post office of Chiang Mai (fig.), correspondingly located on Thanon Praisanih (ถนนไปรษณีย์), i.e. ‘Post Road’, across the street of Rim Ping police station, where traffic offenders have to go to pay their tickets, and adjacent to the Northern Telecoms of Thailand Museum (fig.) and the new office building of the Thailand Post. The museum was established on 18 November 1990 by initiative of the Fine Arts Department, in order to exhibit paraphernalia related to the history of the evolution of the Thai postal service, including radio and telegraphy equipment, as well as Thai stamps and enlarged reproductions thereof (fig.). The historic building by the Ping River (fig.) retains it quaint atmosphere from a previous era, yet is still alive with the love of stamps and of course the tools of the trade. There are showcases with important Thai postage stamps, including the First Day Cover of the opening of the Chiang Mai Philatelic Museum in 1990 (fig.). In its courtyard, that doubles as a car parking, it features a collection of ancient and contemporary postboxes. In Thai, the museum is known as Phiphithaphan Tra Praisanih Yakon Chiang Mai (พิพิธภัณฑ์ตราไปรษณียากรเชียงใหม่). See MAP. 回