A few locations in Finland were crowded and active enough that they required their own post office and remote enough that the nearest city or village just wasn’t going to cut it. The Finnish Sports Academy at Vierumäki near the city of Heinola was one of these locations. The academy was established in 1927 by the Finnish sports activist, Lauri “Tahko” Pihkala, who also invented the Finnish variant of baseball (called “pesäpallo” in Finnish) which is still a major sport in Finland. The location is still in existence although it is no longer simply a sports academy but also also a recreational center, coaching center and sports educational center.

The postcard depicts a popular swimming location within the sports academy’s area. The main buildings of the academy are located within a short a walking distance from the swimming area. The location is still today in similar use. The water body displayed is called Valkjärvi. Here is a Google Maps link to the specific location of the post card.

The stamp in question, 2 marks carmine, was issued in 11.12.1936 (based on earliest known verified cancellations of the stamp) . It’s intended use was for foreign postcards. The rate for post cards from Finland to abroad was 2 marks between 1.11.1936 – 30.9.1942.

The post card has thus correct rate. Single use of the stamp on it’s intended use is not common and having an interesting special cancellations adds to the card’s appeal. The cancellation was in use from 1.2.1938 to 1.6.1972. It was then changed to “Vierumäki 2” to serve a wider area not entirely connected to the sports academy. The date of cancellation is 21.6.1938 so it is also rather early use for this post mark.