Stamp in a form of a bicycle wheel

 

 

Date of Issue : 19 February 2015

125 Years of Bicycles in Iceland - Self-adhesive stamp

Stamp in a form of a bicycle wheel – an extraordinary issue by Iceland Post

Here is an an extraordinary stamp issued by Iceland Post celebrating 125 years of bicycles in Iceland. Postphil believe that issuing a special stamp is a nice way to mark the occasion and celebrate this environmentally friendly means of transport.

The first reports of the use of bicycles in Iceland appeared in the magazine Fjallkonan in 1887. The article dealt with the abilities of women and indicated that they might even excel men. The first bicycles known to have been imported to Iceland were seen in 1890. Knud Zimsen, later mayor of Reykjavik, had a Velocipede bicycle which was a popular type at the time.

At the time, bicycles were owned only by a few and caught the eye in the midst of the horse traffic. The first decades of the 20th century saw a considerable increase in cycling. In 1920, nearly 900 bikes were in use in Iceland. Following the oil crisis in the Seventies, cycling became more popular the world over.

Bicycles have never been as popular as they are today with general increase of interest in the benefits of physical exercise, be it cycling, jogging or walking. Since 2003, the Sports and Olympic Federation has supported the campaign “Bike to Work”. The main objective is to raise awareness of cycling as a healthy, environmentally friendly and efficient means of transport.

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New stamps on Light Houses

 

Iceland Post issued a set of  stamps on Lighthouses . This issue consists of two stamps that depict the most famous and old lighthouses of the country. The stamps were released and put into circulation on the 11^th of September.

The Dyrhólaey lighthouse. The first lighthouse in Dyrhólaey was erected in 1910. This was a Swedish ironframe lighthouse, the first of its kind to be built in Iceland. In 1927 a concrete lighthouse was erected in the island. It is 12.7 m in height, 123 m above sea level and fitted with a Swedish cylindrical lantern, 4,7 m in height, with a catadioptric revolving lens, 1000 mm

in diameter, using gas lighting. The lighthouse was powered by a lighting machine in 1964. Architect Guðjón Samúelsson made the first design which was later modified.

The Akranes lighthouse. There are two lighthouses on Skipaskagi in Akranes. The older one is a concrete tower which was constructed in 1918. The more recent lighthouse was erected in 1943–1944 based on design by engineer Axel Sveinsson. It was taken into use in 1947. Gas lighting was used at first, the light being amplified by a 500 mm catadioptric lens.

In 1956 the lighthouse was powered by electricity. The Swedish lantern is 3,5 m in height. The Akranes lighthouse is a conical tower, 19,2 m in height and stands on a concrete octangular base.

Sturla Thordarson – Great Poet and Historian from Iceland

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Date of issue : 11 September 2014

Iceland Post issued another commemorative stamp on 11th September to mark the 800^th anniversary of its great writer – Sturla Thordarson. This talented person was also a chieftain, a poet and an historian.

The main sources on his life are to be found in the Saga of Icelanders which he himself composed. He was one of the most powerful men in Iceland and witnessed many of the dramatic events that he later described. Sturla was the nephew of Snorri Sturluson.

After Snorri’s execution in 1241 Sturla became the one of the most influential leaders of the Sturlungs who sought his advice and support. His power base was mainly around Breiðafjörður in the west. Sturla wrote about the two main battles in the Age of the Sturlungar: the battle of Örlygsstaðir 1238, in which he himself participated, and the burning of Flugumýri in 1253.

His accounts of these events are among the most terrifying and dramatic composed in the 13th century. Sturla excels in describing characters, battle scenes and dreams and prophecies predicting major events. Sturla is reputed to have written the saga of Grettir the Strong and other sagas. The stamp motif is the Saga of Hákon King of Norway which Sturla wrote, a stylized Viking helmet and a quill point.

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Award winning stamp from Iceland

 

Iceland Post was recently awarded the Ecology Prize for the year 2013 at the 44th Asiago International Award for Philatelic Art.

The prize has high patronage of the President of the Republic of Italy, and was presented during a ceremony in the Council Hall of the Municipality of Asiago (Vicenza, Italy) on Sunday, 6 July 2014.

The award winning stamp - International Year of Water Cooperation, was designed by Borgar Hjörleifur Árnason and issued on 24th January 2013.

About the stamp DESIGN : “With elegant, clear and unequivocal graphics, the stamp represents arms stretched out to the skies, as in an invocation of thirst for life. Raising awareness is everyone’s concern, and a new commitment the first duty of all.”

The stamp was designed after the United Nations’ General Assembly had declared the year 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation, the purpose being to raise general awareness about the possibility of increased cooperation on this precious resource.

Icelandic institutions and non-profit organizations have been involved in international relief efforts, which include digging wells to provide water for people in drought areas. The Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) has been working in several countries drilling for water and digging water wells. The Youth Organization of the National Church has also been actively involved in the relief effort, for instance in Malawi where with the assistance of the Icelandic Church Aid, residents have been digging wells and installing water well pumps, thereby gaining better.

 

Centaurium erythraea – useful and beautiful flower on New German Stamp

Here is a new beautiful stamp from German Post featuring centaury flower. This stamp is part of the continuous series “Flowers”.

The real centaury (Centaurium erythraea) is known for its acerbic taste as bitter herbs or Erdgalle. Who discovered the up to 40 cm high herb for Flowering from July to September, however, not allowed to access. All occurrences of the plant from the genus of gentian plants are protected.

About 30 species are known to grow wild, mostly in Europe, North America, North Africa and the western part of Asia. The five-petalled flowers look like little stars and are often pink, but there are also yellow or white flowers. The flowering period lasts about five days. The centaury has square stems and oval leaves. It’s usually one or two years old.

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