Sometime ago, we stumbled on this unexpected topic on the forum, where postcrosser Meowpurr tells her adventures of mailing postcards from the deepest postbox in Germany… so of course, we were intrigued and wanted to bring it over to the blog, so that more of you learned about it. Here she is, ready to take us all along on a dive into the deep unknown!
"As someone who loves both postcards and the underwater world, you guys can imagine I’m thrilled to announce that… Germany finally has its own underwater mailbox!
It’s 19 meters deep inside Kreidesee Hemmoor, a lake north of Hamburg, and a genuine Divers’ Disneyland. The water is very clear (for a lake 😉), the lake is ~60m deep, full of things to explore underwater, and it’s only open for divers — no regular swimming allowed! 19 meters deep makes the mailbox significantly deeper than this wonderful place I can’t wait to visit too.
A little over a week ago, a freediving festival took place at the lake, and this is why I was there too. Not knowing anything about the new mailbox, I was busy from mornings to evenings doing workshops, making new friends… Doing regular things like repairing cars…
… when a diving friend from Berlin texted me that the lake’s Facebook account had just posted the glorious news! I don’t remember ever letting him know about my postcard shenanigans, so I guess I must have given him a drunk post-dive speech about postcards and stamps (I guess you all know what it’s like). Well, good thing I did! I started my little side quest to find the mailbox, and tadaaa:
It even states the collection time (“weekly”), tells us that waterproof postcards can be bought at the reception, and that it’s Germany’s deepest mailbox:
The next side quest began because my tight festival schedule hardly allowed me to visit the reception with its constant queue of arriving scuba divers (but of course I made it happen ), and because said reception had screwed up buying waterproof pens for their waterproof postcards! I tested the one they sold me in the sink: came off straight away 😱 They did have a thick green one I could borrow – good enough, but I was so relieved the addresses I drew didn’t have a delicate script like Chinese!
By the time I mailed the cards on the last festival day my legs felt completely useless and I was frozen – it was those cold days in the midst of the heat wave, with only 22°C air temperature and only 12°C in the 20m depth region. Mailing those cards was the very last thing I did before literally breaking down.
The card itself is posted without the stamp, so the diving mail carriers (?) attach it themselves. Of course I reminded the receptionist that international mail requires more postage than national, haha, postcrossers’ paranoia… Would have loved to see their faces when they saw one of their first postcards is going all the way to Vietnam!
Now, this is the card:
And this is it, Postcrossing reaching new depths! 🎉
.jpg "Mailing the postcards!")
.jpg "Mailing the postcards!")
And there’s a happy ending too: the first card arrived! I can’t wait to go back and mail some more, and I hope I get to spot some more underwater mail on people’s walls!"
.jpg "Mailing the postcards!")
.jpg "Mailing the postcards!")
Good news! More recently, Meowpurr went back to the lake armed with a few waterproof pens and wrote some more postcards, which have also arrived. At €6 per postcard, this is not a cheap endeavor… but a fun one, for sure! 🤿
63 comments so far
That is so odd! I wonder how they came up with such an idea.
Fantastic ! Great job, Meowpurr !
It makes me wonder what the strangest location is for a postbox is in the world! I bet there are some other pretty weird ones out there...
Cool cards! Thank you Meowpurr for reaching new depths for the sake of Postcrossing, making many postcrossers happy with these special cards and sharing your adventures with all of us.
Wow! This is absolutely fascinating!
So great to read about it here - in fact my husband is the diving postman who empties the box! :-) Now his and my passions seem to get together! ;-)
Oh Mann, ja, ich habe schon vom Kteidesee gehört. I've already heard of the Kreidesse. But it's new and absolutely cool to me to learn how it has now the same underwater postal system adventure as for example Vietnam or Trinidad (where,, by the way, one of my favourite fish sort, the guppys, stem from). I like how the special flairs of underwater and postal mail can be connected. Who knows, maybe I get to the lake one day and send some little surprise card...
@Silberdistel76 that is so cool!! 😍
It would be super fun to get a post card from there!
That is AWESOME! And of course now I want one. I had never heard of this before - I'll have to have a look-see and find out if the US has their version of this. (Given that all the lobbying for a Postcrossing stamp has not yielded a success there yet, maybe no, but worth checking into). Thanks for sharing!
wow, that's just fantastic!
Amazing!
❤️❤️❤️I love this!!! How special to receive one of these cards! It would be a dream!!
I love that shark card and hopefully maybe some day I'll be lucky enough to get one. 🙏🙏
Wonderful story! Great that you put in all that work to make it work.
This reminds me of a geocache I found years ago with a friend that required diving into Lake Michigan. It's on a shipwreck. It was quite an adventure going out to get it. (GC2BG09 for those interested.)
What an idea!!!
How funny! 🤣 😃😆🙃😜😂
Would be great to get such a postcard!!! 😍
This is such a great story!
Brilliant and well done meowpurr!!
Cool story and a great place for a mailbox indeed. I only snorkle, so I wouldn't make it to that maillbox. This indeed could make me dive! Thanks for your Story.
At only 134 or so sent postcards, I’m still in Postcrossing infancy. I’m still dreaming of the day when I receive a card from Africa (or get to send one). But, now - I can add a card from the underwater postbox to my wishlist. I know this is not what Postcrossing is all about. I just can’t help myself. I have that classic “collector mentality” where I’m driven to obtain a sample of just one of everything. This and Antarctica would excite me beyond words!! Great blog!! Thanks for giving us something to dream about!!
This is amazing! Love it!
That is fantastic!! So amazing that anyone came up the idea and then followed through on it. How did the receiver feel?
Very exciting and thank you for sharing 🤗
That is soooo cool! ✉️🧜♀️ What a great adventure & story. Thanks for sharing Meowpurr 😊
🤿👀 what a cool place! Added to the list!
Wow! Those who receive and those who can dive to send are SOOOOO lucky!! It must also be interesting to be an underwater postman or a post-mermaid!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing, letting me know that there are such interesting mailing methods in the world!
So crazy I had known of the one in Vanuatu, now after seeing this turns out there are a few more.
Awesomesauce @Meowpurr and great blogpost @meiadeleite! 🙌
Really cool...thanks so much for sharing your story and amazing pictures... LOVE IT 📮🌊😃
Uauuuu!!! Such a weird & magic place to put a mail box! I wonder how many more could be find all over the underwater world?! 🤭😄
Great adventure @Meowpurr 👏
It waa a lovely surprise getting this card . 😀
Wow, Great Job, @Meowpurr!
That’s so cool! At first I thought there was a reason for this mailbox to be there (i.e. people living in an underwater station like in a sci-fi movie :D ). But it’s awesome that they do this just so people can use it for fun!
what a great story and would nt it be lovely to receive this kind of mail, I am all for it! and I hope I receive one in the future.
This was so much fun to read! How amazing and whoever thought of such a thing? Thanks for sharing @Meowpurr
I couldn't believe it, when I read the intro, but it's for real!
Thanks for sharing with us.:)
How wonderful! Thank you to all the innovators and people who use these fun locations. I am not a diver or even a water enthusiast, other than to observe from land. I do fear and respect water and all it's wonderful inhabitants! I also am in awe of all thrill seekers who love to explore dangerous and remote places. Receiving one of these cards would truly be a neat addition and pretty rare as there are not that many places that have this. Thank you for the share!
How crazy and awesome is that!!! I didn't know such a thing existed until today. Maybe one day I'll get a postcard from the depths too :)
Thanks @Meowpurr for the great photos!
Amazing story!!!thank you very much!!!
Very interesting and very cool!
Amazing story!
Let me just say:
The Kreidesee
is WEST of Hamburg
and NORTH of Bremen
to be exact. ;-) ;-)
I would love doing this but i can't dive 🥹
So interesting and unique! Thank you for sharing, and for sharing in such a lovely conversational tone, as well as for including photos. An enjoyable read!
How incredibly funny and cool at the same time! A reason to start diving. Thank you for this great post. I now imagine a postman with diving equipment in the car who has to go to the lake once a week.
Looooooove the Story!
Wie lautet die Anschrif dort untern
What's the address?
Commment en ecrire qc
So fascinating and cool!It would be interesting to get a postcard from this mailbox 🤩
Thank you for your amazing story ! Unusual and funny too !
Wow, cool @meowpurr I thaught, this lake was more in the north near the Kreidefelsen at Bad Segeberg. But near Hemmoor... It is nearly a homegame for a Harburger like me :-) It is nice, that this story is share on the main site. Some time ago this mailbox was mentioned in the forum.
What a treat to get a postcard from the deep! Great article.
Cool! 👍👍👍
When I first saw this I thought you were talking a 5. geocache! :D LOL, this is even better!
Sending mail from a mine in Poland (https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/individual-tourist/useful-information/important-information/tourist-route) is the best I can achieve. Diving is way out of my league...
@Silberdistel76 congratulations to your husband!!! :)
Wow such a cool thing! Must be so much fun
I'm interested to have a card @meowpurr and @silberdistel76 😊
Wow - new meaning of "just going to the mailbox"!
This is so cool - never knew anything like this existed, and I just love your detailed description and photos! <hahaha - "I guess I must have given him a drunk post-dive speech about postcards and stamps">
That's amazing! I would love to send a postcard from such a unique location. Time to start hunting!
Wow! , that's just awesome!! Cool postcard too! :)
What a fantasy!. Great place for an unusual postbox.
My son was reading this over my shoulder and asked, "Why??" My answer - why not?! This is so much fun! I'd love to visit this lake and mail a postcard from underwater. Love the design too.
Its so funny to think that the German post still works faster under water then my local post! XD
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