Denmark stops mail delivery, reflecting the decline of handwritten letters
Denmark has announced it will stop delivering letters after nearly four centuries, marking the end of an era for postal communication. The shift highlights how communication has evolved from slow, physical letters to instant digital messages. Postcards, once a social gesture with the phrase 'Wish you were here,' served as proof of life from afar. Photographer Martin Parr explored this in his book 'Boring Postcards,' noting that postcards reveal more about the sender than the place. The article, by Lauren Ho, Travel Director of Wallpaper*, reflects on the personal joy of sending postcards from remote destinations like the Falkland Islands or Greenland. Ho encourages writing letters for mental clarity, despite their obsolescence. The piece appears in the June 2026 Travel Issue of Wallpaper*.
Key facts
- Denmark will stop delivering letters after nearly 400 years.
- Postcards once functioned as a social gesture with the line 'Wish you were here.'
- Martin Parr authored 'Boring Postcards' featuring unremarkable examples from the 1950s and 1960s.
- Lauren Ho is the Travel Director of Wallpaper*.
- Ho sends postcards to herself from remote destinations like the Falkland Islands and Greenland.
- The article is from the June 2026 Travel Issue of Wallpaper*.
- Letters are no longer essential for communication.
- Handwritten letters can clear the mind and express feelings.
Entities
Artists
- John Stezaker
- Martin Parr
Institutions
- Wallpaper*
Locations
- Denmark
- Falkland Islands
- Greenland