{"id":18810,"date":"2025-11-28T17:02:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T16:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ngi.be\/wanneer-kaarten-het-verhaal-van-de-tijd-vertellen-het-ngi-in-de-schijnwerpers-op-de-postzegels-van-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T10:49:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T08:49:45","slug":"when-maps-tell-the-story-of-time-the-ngi-in-the-spotlight-on-the-2026-postage-stamps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ngi.be\/when-maps-tell-the-story-of-time-the-ngi-in-the-spotlight-on-the-2026-postage-stamps","title":{"rendered":"When maps tell the story of time: the NGI in the spotlight on the 2026 postage stamps"},"content":{"rendered":"
Small in size but big on emotions: the NGI forms part of the 2026 stamp collection, a symbolic recognition that comes at just the right time as the Institute celebrates its 50th anniversary. But the history of the institution actually dates back much further than that.<\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As early as 1831, the Provisional Government established the D\u00e9p\u00f4t de la Guerre (DLG), a military division to produce maps for the armed forces. In 1976, the institution was demilitarised and officially renamed the National Geographic Institute (NGI) with a broader mission: to serve not only the government but also civil society and citizens.<\/p>\n

The new collection of postage stamps, which was unveiled on 28 November at the bpost site in Mechelen, tells the story of Belgium, past and present. <\/a>William Sweetlove, the archivist and information manager at the NGI, was on hand to explain the images selected.<\/p>\n

The stamps themselves show five different map fragments of Brussels Park in chronological order. Bordered by the Royal Palace to the south and the Federal Parliament to the north, Brussels Park played an important role in the Belgian Revolution. The stamp on the left shows the first topographical map of Belgium from 1865. This map has a distinct aesthetic of its own. The second stamp shows an updated version of the map from the year 1891. The shades of grey show that the artistic approach was gradually having to make way for a functional representation. The middle stamp jumps forward to 1958 and depicts the postwar topographical map of Belgium. A notable feature of that map is the Brussels Inner Ringway, marked in orange, which reflects the growing impact of automobile traffic. The penultimate map dates from 1994 and looks sleeker and more modern. That topographical map was the first to be fully digital. The final stamp shows the most recent topographical map from 2019.<\/p>\n

Thanks to these five small windows on the past and the present, the NGI is providing the public with a unique perspective: of a Belgium that is evolving, as seen through the eyes of its cartographers. But please be patient: the stamps will be available via the bpost e-shop<\/a> and via our shop from 15 June 2026 onwards.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Small in size but big on emotions: the NGI forms part of the 2026 stamp collection, a symbolic recognition that comes at just the right time as the Institute celebrates its 50th anniversary. 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