Tourist Stamps VII

Kayaking Kayaking tours on sea and lakes enjoy increased popularity among tourists arriving in Iceland. Many Icelandic fjords are well suited for such tours providing shelter and offering sights of rich animal life along the coast. Seals and birds canRead More

Jón Thoroddsen 200th Anniversary

Iceland – Jón Thoroddsen (1818-1868) was a county magistrate and writer, known for having written the first modern Icelandic novel, “A Boy and a Girl”. Jón was born at Reykhólar in the northwest of Iceland. He studied law at theRead More

Christmas Stamps 2017

Iceland – December is the time of hopeful expectation. As the first candle on the advent wreath is lit, the children’s anticipation increases until the bells ring in Christmas Eve. The stamps reflect the joy and peace that prevails duringRead More

#TBT – Nordic II – Rescue Service

Iceland – Search and rescue services constitute the theme of the 2012 Norden stamps. For centuries, Icelandic fishermen have lived with the dangers of the sea. Many lives have been lost in the struggle with the forces of nature. TheRead More

SEPAC- Handcraft – The Icelandic Sweater

Iceland – The joint SEPAC stamp motif is local or typical handcraft. The Icelandic stamp features an Icelandic sweater. The pattern shown, ”Álafoss pattern no. 51”, is a very characteristic one. It was probably affected by foreign knitting traditions introduced byRead More

Europa 2017- Castles

Iceland – According to the decision of Postal Operators in Europe castles constitute the common theme of the year. A castle is a fortified structure, usually difficult to reach due to its location. Most castles of medieval Europe were homes toRead More

Tourist Stamps VI- (Horse)

Iceland – Horse-riding  The theme of the tourist stamps this year is “Tourist activities in Iceland”. Horse-riding. Horse hire companies across the country organize riding tours for children and adults, lasting from a few hours up to several days. Longer toursRead More

Icelandic Contemporary Design VIII – Textile design – Aníta Hirlekar

Iceland – Textile design is the theme of the eighth stamp series dedicated to Icelandic contemporary design. Vik Prjónsdóttir designed the scarf “Shielding hand”. Vik Prjónsdóttir is a collaboration of designers whose objective is to promote the development of wool products and knitting. The designers areRead More

The First Icelandic Architect

Iceland – Rögnvaldur Ágúst Ólafsson has been called the first Icelandic architect. He was born in Dýrafjörður in the Westfjords in 1874 and grew up in Ísafjörður. He graduated from the Learned School in 1901 and sailed to Copenhagen for hisRead More

The Reykjavík Craftsmen Guild

Iceland – Organization and education were needed in order to promote the interests of Icelandic craftsmen in the mid-nineteenth century. This development began when the Reykjavík Craftsmen Guild (IMFR) was founded on February 3, 1867. The founders were 31 in number,Read More

Iceland’s first government

Iceland – On New Year’s Day 1917, a new legislation concerning increased number of ministers in the Icelandic government was cabled to the Danish king who ratified it the next day. Until that time Iceland had had only one minister, Hannes Hafsteinn, but now theyRead More