Dutch station buildings by artist Sandra Mackus
On May 19, 2025, PostNL will issue the Dutch Station Buildings stamp sheet, featuring pen drawings by artist Sandra Mackus of 5 existing and 5 former station buildings in the Netherlands. The 10 stamps bear the value indication 1 for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The design of the stamps was created by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda.
Dutch station buildings
In the Netherlands, there are 399 buildings currently in use as railway stations and 243 buildings that once were but have since been given a different purpose. For each of these 642 station buildings, the artist has Sandra Mackus Over the past few years, she created a black-and-white pen drawing of the exterior, in A5 format. The following Dutch stations are depicted on the Dutch station buildings stamps: Amsterdam Sloterdijk, Wieringerwaard, Tzummarum, Tilburg, Lansingerland-Zoetermeer, Schijndel, Twisk, Heemstede-Aerdenhout, Rotterdam Centraal, and Wittebrug-Pompstation. In the period 2020-2024, Mackus traveled throughout the Netherlands to first draw all 399 still-in-use station buildings, later supplemented with 243 former railway stations. When public transport came to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic, she traveled by bicycle (6000 km), on foot (1400 km), and on skates (500 km). “My work is mainly about things nobody looks at,” says Mackus. “About the things around us that everyone takes for granted. It started with the train station in my own city of Weert, which until then I had only perceived as a public transport hub. One day I cycled past it and suddenly saw its beauty. That, in short, was the impetus for me to start drawing all the station buildings in the Netherlands. I like to be surprised, so I didn't figure out how many there are beforehand. One day, someone asked if I also drew all the buildings that no longer serve as train stations. I then added those 'ghost stations' to my list. All names and locations have been mapped out over time, through on-site research and information from railway enthusiasts on the internet. I may have missed one or two stations, but no more than that.” Mackus made the drawings on location or – for distant destinations – afterwards, based on photos she took herself. All drawings were made with a fineliner. “A characteristic of a fineliner is that you can't erase anything,” she says. “So it has to be right the first time, or you have to be able to deal creatively with any potential mistakes. People are visible in some drawings, sometimes wearing face masks. Because it is a snapshot of a bygone era. Black-and-white pen drawings quickly take on a nostalgic character, which suits this subject well. They seem frozen in time, even the modern buildings. Among my favorites is Lansingerland, which I didn't know at all, with that beautiful branch pattern. The former Wieringerwaard train station is also impressive. I rang the doorbell of the people who live there now, because I really wanted to draw the building from their garden. I am still considering what we will do with all the drawings, perhaps a book or an exhibition. But for now, I am already very happy with how they appear on the stamps. In a design with its own character and with all due respect for my work.”
About the station buildings
The station Amsterdam Sloterdijk It dates back to 1986 and was designed by architect Harry Reijnders. This is the first station in the Netherlands with grade-separated crossings. With the aim of transparency and openness, the architect made extensive use of materials such as glass, steel, and plastic.
The station building Rotterdam Centraal opened in 2014. The design by Team CS consists of two parts: the imposing main entrance with a gleaming, stainless steel appearance and the tall, light-filled section that spans the platforms by 250 meters. Over 130.000 solar panels have been installed on the roof.
Station Wieringerwaard is a former railway station on the line between Van Ewijcksluis and Schagen. The connection was initially built as a tram line and later operated by the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HIJSM). Wieringerwaard Station was opened on March 1, 1912, and closed on December 31, 1934.
The station building Tzummarum The station of the Noord-Friesche Locaal-Spoorwegmaatschappij was built in 1902 as a variant of the standard type of simple station building, Type B. The last passenger train ran in 1936, and freight transport ceased in 1961. The station building was subsequently converted into a double dwelling.
The former station Schijndel It was opened in 1873 and closed in 1950. The station building dates from 1872 and is constructed in the Waterstaat style. It was a station of the North Brabant-German Railway Company and consisted of a residence and spaces for station services.
About the designer
Sandra Smulders (The Hague, 1974) studied advertising and presentation design at Nimeto Utrecht from 1991 to 1995, specializing in graphic design. After graduating, she worked as a graphic designer and art director at the B2B agency Admix, the communications agency FPW, Manten Grafisch Ontwerpbureau, and VDM Reklame, all four in Rotterdam. In 2007, she founded the agency Vormgoed in Gouda as a graphic designer and art director. Smulders specializes in the design of logos and corporate identities and the further development of the associated communication materials. She works primarily for the corporate sector. Her recent clients include engineering firm ABT, travel organization All for Nature, Groundwater Technology, Overeijnder Van den Dool Communication, and Publisher DAVO. For PostNL, Smulders previously designed the stamp sheets André van Duin 60 years a public favorite and The visual language of nature (2024), the NL crypto stamp Gold Edition, the NL crypto stamp 2 – lion and the Luxembourg and Austrian variants thereof (2023), the stamps for World Animal Day (2022) and for Stamp Day (2020-2024), the stamp series Back to the 20th Century and Trains & Routes (2019), the Children's Stamps 2018, the stamp series commemorating 50 years of Fabeltjeskrant (2018) and the Fokke & Sukke 25 Years stamp series (2018).
Sources used: PostNL press release arcam.nl, architectenweb.nl, hvhb.nl, rijksmonumenten.nl, rotterdamcentrum.nl, spoorbeeld.nl, stationsweb.nl, wikipedia.nl
I notice that the distribution of the selected stations is not very wide.
Mainly in North and South Holland and one in Friesland.
I (as a Groninger in Drenthe) consider that a missed opportunity.
But as we so often say, the Netherlands apparently ends north of Zwolle and east of Apeldoorn.
'@ Ramon: I can sympathize with you. The North often gets the short end of the stick.
Personally, I find this more of a postcard blog than a philatelic blog.
'@Willem:
Strange remark! Are you counting?
There are 16 stamps, 4 postcards, and 5 photos in this blog, so it is a complete stamp blog!
‘@ Randy:
After a lot of text, I see a sheet of 10 stamps featuring station buildings depicted on their side. A strange choice.
After that, a whole string of postcards and photos. That’s when I switch off. I’ve seen better blogs from you.
'@Willem:
I stand by my position regarding the numbers (16, 4, 5). The text is from PostNL. The sheet image is also from PostNL. File complaints with PostNL and not with me. It is normal for PostNL to display sheets in this way: https://shop.postnl.nl/webshop/collect-club/kaderpostzegels/pzv-80-jr-bevrijding-zuid-ned
Fortunately, there is a lot of variety in my blogs. If all my blogs were the same, it would be truly boring. Luckily, many other readers of my blog find my stories interesting enough!
Unfortunately, there are (too) few readers who leave comments. I would appreciate it if more comments came in so that we can perhaps have some (substantive) discussion. Surely there is nothing wrong with indicating what you like and what you don't like?
Does this issue fall under the railways theme? I don't see a single train. Perhaps under the stations theme. However, a large portion is no longer in use as a station. In any case, I don't consider PostNL's extra issues to be philatelic.
'@ Fer: With a thematic collection, the collector decides for himself what does and does not fall under it. That is also what I find fun about thematic collecting.
Randy and Willem. I rotated the press photo on my Facebook and then you can see the stations very nicely.
I have only been active as a blogger for a short time. I have noticed that articles can be published without being reviewed by an editorial team. I think the standard would improve if this were to happen. You are sometimes blind to your own mistakes or get too lost in trivial matters. Also, as a reader, I am not interested in information that I can find myself via, for example, Wikipedia. I would therefore like to advocate submitting drafts to a fellow blogger for review first. In my opinion, that prevents a lot of criticism afterwards. And in the meantime: we are all doing our best to make something beautiful out of it.
Dear Jan,
I completely agree with you. I don't like Wikipedia entries either.
But every blogger has their own style. And there aren't that many bloggers, so it becomes difficult to set requirements.
Peer consultation seems like a great idea to me. But whether that applies to the other blogger as well, I don't know.
I understand perfectly well that I cannot and should not impose my standards on others. But I simply do not feel comfortable operating as a kind of glorified ChatGPT. That service scours the internet in a few seconds and then compiles an article for you based on pre-existing data. So, you are not adding anything of value. I consciously set the bar higher for myself by raising issues that you cannot access directly via keywords on Google. Think of old articles in the *Maandblad voor de Philatelie*. To derive information from that, I first have to go to the website maandbladfilatelie.nl and only then can I type in a keyword. Similarly, I like to make use of delpher.nl and dekrantvantoen.nl. I also do not hesitate to walk into an archival institution for my articles. I accept that I produce fewer articles due to this working method. I want to add something, to rehash previously unpublished information. But again, this is my method, and I feel comfortable with it.
@ Jan: It is indeed important to choose a working method you feel comfortable with. I do that too. I only write an article if it truly resonates with me. So, no articles just to 'score' as many articles as possible. In that case, it can happen that you lack inspiration for a while. I have a lot of respect for the blogger from the very beginning: Hero Wit. He has a great deal of philatelic knowledge, but he is out of action for a few weeks due to a fall. I am going to see if I can do something with him for this blog.
'@Jan/@Willem
Just a quick response.
Most comments are about the format of this blog and not the content. Suddenly, other blogs are being dragged into it that have nothing to do with the station blog. Strange to respond in this way.
I highly appreciate only the substantive responses from Ramon and Fer, and they are important for PostNL and collectors.
As previously reported, the information (text and stamp sheet) is from a PostNL press release. Therefore, file complaints with them if you believe they made errors in their reporting.
I have added 6 stamps, 4 postcards, and 5 photos so that it is not just one large piece of text that would make it illegible. In short (16, 4, 5), so a complete stamp blog.
There are two bloggers who write very frequently, and they are also (final) editors. At Postbeeld, there is no staffing capacity to hire an editor. Unless, of course, you are willing to pay that editor's salary. The blogs are free, and that is one reason why there are no strict rules; otherwise, the two bloggers would drop out. And then it would become a static site. Do you want that? With other news media, there is a paid subscription with an account, and then you have about 10-15 editors. In that case, a final editor is needed. You don't have to read my blogs, because just like on a TV, there is an ON/OFF button.
Fortunately, the two bloggers write in different styles. That is precisely the variety and charm of the blogs. They also cover diverse themes with little overlap.
Personally, I have contact with various specialized societies in the philately world. I have no need to consult with other bloggers or the (final) editor.
Do you know how much preparation time is needed to write a blog post before, in my opinion, it is suitable to publish online? That takes many hours. I do not use ChatGPT, but I do use Wikipedia, as well as other sources such as press releases, other sites, etc. It is not forbidden, because if you see how much of Wikipedia is used for museum and travel websites, you would have to send your comments to many other sites as well.
Then, regarding the multitude of blogs, Willem is the first to complain about 'scoring'. I have never thought about 'scoring'. I have a broad cultural and travel interest.
In the world we live in—and that is short in a human lifetime if you view us as a speck in the vastness of the universe. For instance, I visit about 200 exhibitions a year and take many short trips both domestically and abroad. Those who know me well know this. For instance, a blog post about an exhibition often leads to a visit to that exhibition. I have helped someone on their way, after all. And I also attend most of the events I mention. And I write about them. Is that forbidden?
The same applies to Willem: he doesn't have to read my blogs; he can just skip them, because it's all 'too much' anyway.
Other people also enjoy reading my blogs because of the diversity. Even the monthly magazine Filatelie (April issue) asked me to write an article about Maurice Ravel.
Finally, Jan, when are you writing your second blog?
‘@Ramon:
I have forwarded your question to Sandra Mackus and hope that she responds herself in this Forum.
Good day, Randy.
Just wanted to let you know that I enjoy reading your blogs!
Naturally, I find one subject more interesting than another, but I am not obliged to read on.
What Willem writes, that he only writes about subjects he cares about, is fine for him, but I, for example, have absolutely no connection with Leiden…
Dear Pieter, you don't know what you're missing. Come to 9 Leiden sometime and I'll give you a (free) city walk.
'@Willem
Do you also have plans for a volume about the Cleveringa protest speech in the “Leiden in Philately” series? In that case, I am certainly interested.
‘@ Jan:
Cleveringa is an inspiring person. Yesterday, the open-air exhibition *Beelden* (Sculptures) about his protest speech opened in Leiden. In 2010, I was chairman of the Leiden Association of Stamp Collectors, and we issued a personal stamp about Cleveringa at that time. It was presented to his daughter. Very special. I also talk about him during my city walks.
Perhaps I will write a stamp blog about him sometime.
'@Jan/@Willem:
Can you ask each other for email addresses at Postbeeld and continue discussing the email exchange regarding Cleveringa outside of this blog? This blog is about station buildings, and if you have questions about this, ask them here, but do not discuss other matters.
By the way: I also wrote about Cleveringa in the blog in later years: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/universiteit-leiden/
‘@Ramon:
I have received a message from Sandra Mackus regarding your comment on my blog. Her response is:
The selection of the station buildings was made in consultation with the designer. We decided in advance to choose five station buildings that are still functioning as such, and five ghost stations. Together, we looked at what complemented each other visually, and this series ultimately emerged. Therefore, it has nothing to do with a preference for a particular building or region. Incidentally, the selection also includes two stations from North Brabant (Tilburg CS and the former Schijndel station) and one former station from Friesland (Tzummarum).
Nice blog. I don't really care much for stamps, unless they have something to do with the railway. I ordered them, and these right away too: https://shop.postnl.nl/pzv-de-historische-trams
@ Nico: Collecting stamps based on a theme rather than a country is becoming increasingly common. I do that myself as well. I think that many stamps featuring trains and trams have been issued by various countries.
I find the variety in your article with old postcards to be an enrichment of your piece.