This story was produced by our colleagues at the BBC.

Across Europe, national postal services have been grappling with declines in letter volumes, driven by the rise of digitalization.

In Denmark, where the decline has been particularly steep, the publicly owned national postal service, PostNord, is bringing an end to 400 years of letter deliveries, to focus solely on parcels from next year.

So, as digitalization grows, do letters have a future?

In Copenhagen, former postal worker Jan Helen switched to parcels after nearly three decades of delivering letters.

She said the decline in letter volume had been “exceptionally fast” and difficult to witness. “We've worked hard to get those letters out and been proud of delivering them,” she said.

Inside PostNord’s last remaining letter-sorting facility, machines still process corporate mail and magazines. Fifteen years ago, there were several such depots across the country. Since 2000, the volume of letters handled by PostNord has dropped by 90%.

By the end of this year, state-run mail deliveries will become a thing of the past.

A third of its workforce, or around 1,500 staff, will also be let go. David Ramik, chair of the 3F Postal Union, called it “the end of 400 years of daily history.”

With online shopping growing, PostNord will instead focus on this profitable arm of its business.

“The average Dane receives just one letter a month,” said Kim Pedersen, CEO of PostNord Denmark. “Danes love to shop online. We are just facing this evolution, of a digitized society earlier than maybe some other countries.”

In Denmark, there's an app for almost everything from cashless mobile payments to electronic drivers’ licenses, and almost all correspondence with Danish authorities is carried out online, making it one of the world's most digitalized countries, the result of a decades old policy pushed by the government.

One by one, the iconic red post boxes are being removed from Danish streets, few in the capital seem to use them.

“I honestly can't remember. It's been years and years. I'm not even sure how to do it anymore” one resident said.

A new law has opened the postal market to private firms, and a company called Dayo will take over remaining mail delivery. Around a quarter of a million people still rely on physical post and there are worries older Danes might struggle to make the shift.

Marlene Rishøj Cordes of the NGO DaneAge said those exempt from digital communication often face barriers. “If you’re not skilled digitally, then it's difficult to figure out where to go and deliver your mail across.”

Europe and beyond, many countries have also been grappling with a heavy loss of letter volumes.  According to Florian Newhouse, a partner at consultancy firm McKinsey, “Germany and Switzerland are seeing slower declines, around 40%, but this is a trend we’re seeing everywhere,” he said. “It’s driven by digitalization and how people communicate.”

Letters haven’t disappeared entirely, but Denmark may be offering a glimpse of what’s ahead.