New start fair Essen

We take a trip just over the border, to Essen in Germany.

When the Deutsche Post issued a stamp for the Zeche Zollverein (in the series Sehenswürdigkeiten in Deutschland) on 5 January 2023, neither Deutsche Post nor the philatelic world could have suspected that this would become a memorable place for philatelists.

The Zeche Zollverein has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001.
During its heyday, the Zeche Zollverein was the largest coal mine in the world. The mine closed in 1986.

But now to the – philatelic – point. On the grounds of the Zeche Zollverein is also the Grand Hall. A 4,000 m² event complex.
On 29 June, you could read on Netpha that, after the successful IBRA exhibition and thereby the Briefmarkenmesse in Essen, the organizer of the Briefmarkenmesse unexpectedly pulled the plug on this fair, which was also popular with Dutch philatelists, after the event. It seemed to be over and done with at the time.

Now comes the good news that philately in Essen will continue as usual, with a different organization and at a different location in Essen: The Grand Hall on the grounds of the Zeche Zollverein. Again in early May (in 2024 3 and 4), but now only on Friday and Saturday.
The fair is organized by the Bund Deutscher Philatelisten e.V. (BDPH), counterpart of the KNBF the Dutch federation..

The name of the new fair is Phila Essen. The website is already up and running.