LATVIA AS PART OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA


VIESĪTE

Postcars, sent from Tallinn to ЭКЕНГРАФЪ [EHKENGRAF], in present Latvia Viesīte. The German indication is Eckengraf. After the war of independence (1918) the Latvian name was Ēķengrāve or Ieķingrāve, but it sounds too German.


This picture and all pictures below on this page, if not mentioned otherwise: scanned about 300 dpi. Then set right and resized 25 % of this image and saved as jpg.



The arrival-postmark of ЭКЕНГРАФЪ [EHKENGRAF], resized 50%.

In this double circle postmark the government КУРЛ Г. (KURL G.) is indicated, short for КУРЛЯНДСКАЯ (KURLYANDSKAYA) ГУБЕРНIЯ (GUBERNIYA), Courland Government.
This card from РЕВЕЛЪ [REVEL], Tallinn in present Estonia, is sent via the railway-postoffice, in the postmark is indicated ВОКЗ:АЛЪ [VOKZAL], railway station.
In Circular No. 9 of February 3, 1903, which introduced the double ring postmarks, are also mentioned the postmarks for the railway post: "Postal wagons must use oval postmarks.... Railway post offices must also use oval postmarks, but the name of the place is to be given above, and the abbreviated form of "VOKZAL", "VOKZ." below. If more than one vokzal is situated in a town, an abbreviated form of the name of the railway is to be added to "VOKZ."."


The most interesting objects in Viesite are: the little engine, ViesIte Culture Castle, Memorial room and places of Professor Pauls Stradinš, memorial room of writer Anna Brodele, Viesite Brivibas (Freedom) Church, Viesite museum of local history "Selonia".

Viesite is a typical Selonia town located in the hills in the centre of the district. Selonia is the cultural and historical district,

Selonia (Latvian: Selija; Lithuanian: Sela), also known as Augšzeme (the "Highland"), is a cultural region of Latvia encompassing the eastern part of the historical region of Semigallia (Latvian: Zemgale). Its main city and cultural center is Jekabpils. The Selonian language has become extinct, though some of the inhabitants still speak a Latgalian dialect.The term "Selonians" is most probably the German adaptation of the Livonian name "Highlanders",



VIĻĀNI

Cover, registered sent from Viļāni.
This is the name in present Latvia.
In the postmark we see the Russian name ВЕЛIОНЫ [VELIONY], the German name is Welonen.



Other names for Viļāni: Vilon [Yiddish], Velena [Russian], Vilianai [Lithuanian], Wellan [German], Wielony [Polish], Weleny, Vilyany, Vilyani, Vilyane, Viljani, Vileni, Vilany, Velēny, Wielona, Veliony


The name Weleny we can find on a map: detail of the map, not resized, 'Russische Ostsee-Provinzen' from from the encyclopedia 'Meyers Konversations-Lexicon', 6e Aufl., 1905-1909
In present Latvia Viļāni is situated in the western part of the former Rēzekne District (Rēzekne is on the map indicated as Rjeshiza). Districts were eliminated during the administrative-territorial reform in 2009.



The postmark, resized 50 %.

In the postmark is also indicated the government, ВИТЕБ., short for ВИТЕБСКАЯ [VITEBSKAYA] and Г [G.], short for ГУБЕРНIЯ (GUBERNIYA), Government Vitebsk. The type of the postmark is the crossed-date-type: in the middle the day stays first, under it the month (in Roman numerals), left of the whole the century and right the rest of the year.
According the EESTI-classification this is type 6C.
At the bottom in the postmark is placed the indication ПОЧТ. ТЕЛ. ОТД, the abbrevation for ПОЧТОВО-ТЕЛЕГРАФНОЕ ОТДЬЛЕНIЕ (POCHTOVO-TELEGRAFNOE OTDELENIE = Post-Telegraph Sub- Office), so type 6C2 in the EESTI-classification.

The handbook of Harry v. Hofmann gives a table with the standard Russian postmarks, used in Viļāni (part I, page107): 5 different.
The registry label, resized 50%.
The letter is registered. This you can see of course from the registry label, but also right above on the cover is handwritten:
ЗАКАЗНАЯ / ЗАКАЗНОЕ / ЗАК. (ZAKAZNAYA, ZAKAZNOE) 'registered'.


The backside with postage stamps, resized 50%

Postal rates in this period, see: site of Sijtze Reurich.

A postmark?? (resized 50%): "Enveloppe of ....



VIŠĶI

This cover is sent from Višķi. In Imperial Russia the name was ВЬIШКИ [WISHKI] and this name we see in the postmark. The German name was Wyschki. With the start of the Latvian Republic, 1918, the Latvian indacation was Wischki. Later the name is changed to the more Latvian Višķi.
In present Latvia Višķi is a village in Višķi Parish, an administrative unit of the Daugavpils Municipality (south-east Latvia).

The postmark resized 50%.




In the postmark is also indicated the government, ВИТЕБ., short for ВИТЕБСКАЯ [VITEBSKAYA] and Г [G.], short for ГУБЕРНIЯ (GUBERNIYA), Government Vitebsk. On the backside the postage stamp, 10 kopecks.

The letter is registered. This you can see of course from the registry label, but also right above on the cover is handwritten:
ЗАКАЗНАЯ / ЗАКАЗНОЕ / ЗАК. (ZAKAZNAYA, ZAKAZNOE) 'registered'.
The first -reported- registration label in Russia is used 3 January 1899 and almost all are in Cyrillic script. Later, from 1900, for internal mail are used labels with Cyrillic З, short for ЗАКАЗНАЯ. For mail going abroad are used labeld with the latin R, short for the French indication Recommandée. Only in Moscow this kind of labels with R were already used in 1899.


The type of the postmark is the cross-date-type: in the middle the day stays first, under it the month (in Roman numerals), left of the whole the century and right the rest of the year.
According the EESTI-classification this is type 6C.
At the bottom in the postmark is indicated ПОЧТ. ОТД. [POCHT. OTD.], short for ПОЧТОВОЕ ОТДЬЛЕНIЕ (POCHTOVOE OTDELENIE = Sub Post-Office. So according the classification of EESTI type 6C4.
The handbook of Harry v. Hofmann gives a table with the standard Russian postmarks, used in Višķi (part I, page111): 4 different, 2 crossed date (serial number 1 and 2) and 2 double circle (serialletters а and б, the first two letters of the Russian alphabet.
This handbook gives also a survey of the registering labels. For ВЬIШКИ [WISHKI] the label on this cover is the only reported З-label of this type (З and frame in red, black text), used October 19, 1905 - Ocober 14,1908.
There is not an arrival-postmark: I think there is written Местное, local.
The writing letters differ from the printing-letters.