Blue Penny Museum – Port Louis Mauritius.
The Blue Penny Museum at the marina end of the waterfront vies with the l'Aventure du Sucre at Beau Plan (see 'L'Aventure du Sucre', Day One - The North, p. 26) as the best museum in Mauritius.
The exquisite, newly-opened museum has a fascinating collection of ancient nautical charts, maps and photos from the island's colonial period. A tour is a veritable voyage of discovery. Clear displays trace the early occupation of the island and the development of Port Louis as the nation's capital, as well as significant events, including the famous battle of Grand Port.
BLUE PENNY MUSEUM – PORT LOUIS MAURITIUS.
The 'postal adventure' charts the history of local, maritime and air communication. Treasures include the first accurate map of the island, drawn by Abbé de la Caille; famous Mauritian sculptor Prosper d'Epinay's delicate marble statue of Paul and Virginie, and, of course, the famous Mauritian 'Blue Penny' stamp from which the museum takes its name.
The blue two-penny stamp, and the red one-penny stamp displayed with it, were returned to Mauritius in 1993 when a consortium of local firms bought the two rarities for 2.2 million US dollars. The stamps, issued in 1847, bear the words 'POST OFFICE' rather than 'POST PAID'. Only three other unused Blue Penny stamps are in existence, whilst the unused orange-red one-penny stamp is one of only two known specimens. Replicas of the stamps are on permanent display, but the originals are only illuminated for 10 minutes every hour.