1318) "Ancient Postal Routes - The Postal Route from Christiania to Bergen", Norway: A Europa Stamp of 20g issued by Posten Norge or (Norwegian Post) depicting the difficult mountain route/stretch at Vindhellvegen & Kongevegen: Date of Stamp issue: 17.04.2020:

1318) "Ancient Postal Routes - The Postal Route from Christiania to Bergen", Norway: A Europa Stamp of 20g issued by Posten Norge (or Norwegian Post) depicting the difficult mountain route/stretch at Vindhellvegen & Kongevegen: Date of Stamp issue: 17.04.2020:

"A very hazardous road, passing cliffs and valleys, where it was not possible to ride, but where the postal farmers had to carry mailbags on their backs" - was the description of Vindhellavegen in Laerdal.

In 1793, the road was finally upgraded and Kongevegen was the first road between the East and the West, but the stretch at Vindhellavegen was steep and hard for both horse and man to descend.

In the 1840s, the road authority built a new road for horse and cart on high walls passing through the pass, and added an extra curve to reduce the incline. The narrow curves on high walls with a sharp incline has made Vindhellavegen one of the most beautiful road-related cultural heritage sites in Norway.

Kongevegen has been named Norway's most beautiful road and it has won the European Union (EU)'s highest cultural award - the "Europa Nostra", for which Vindhellavegen has contributed in a big way.

The Postage Stamps:

The First Day Cover (FDC) issued at the time of stamp release. It bears the Miniature Sheet (MS) at right showing the beautiful but treacherous rout the Farmer-postmen had to negotiate to deliver mail bags to the destinations.

The Special Cancellation Handstamp/Postmark bears an image of a postman trudging with a heavy mailbag across the route with a walking stick/staff in hand. The Cancellation is of Oslo Post Office and is dated - "17.04.2020".

The Miniature Sheet shows the steep inclines on the road, which farmer-postmen had to negotiate on foot.

A Collectible Sheet shows the route map at the lower side, which the farmer-postmen had to negotiate.

The technical details:

Issue date: 17.04.2020

Printer: Joh. Enschede Security Print

Designer: Jorn O. Jontvedt

Process: Offset

Stamp values: Europa 20g

Links to posts on "Ancient Postal Routes on this Blog, the theme of PostEurop for 2020:

1) Ancient Postal Routes - Mail Ships, Guernsey. a British Crown Dependency (BCD): A EUROPA set od six stamps brought out by Guernsey Post depicting six Mail Ships that sailed between Guernsey and the United Kingdom: Date of Stamp set issue: 01.04.2020

2) "Ancient Postal Routes, Romanian Principalities XIX Century", Romania: A set of two Postage Stamps of Lei 20.50 and Lei 1.90 issued by "Romfilatelia" (Romanian Post) depicting Ancient Postal Routes and modes of postal transport: Date of Stamp Set issue: 09.04.2020

 3) "Ancient Postal Routes, Biga", Bosnia & Herzgovina: Two EUROPA stamps of 3.00 Euro each depicting a Wagon and the two faces of a Silver Coin issued on 05.04.2020

4) Ancient Postal Routes - the Postal Boat Race - between Aland and Sweden", Aland, Finland: A EUROPA Postage Stamp of 2.00 Euro issued by Aland Post: Date of Stamp issue: 08.05.2020

 5) "Ancient Postal Routes - Mail Ships", Jersey, A British Crown Dependency (BCD): A set of six stamps depicting the Mail Ships - Rover, the Atalanta, the Cygnus, the Lydia and Isle of Jersey and The Caesarea III, issued by Jersey Post: Date of Stamp set issue: 07.04.2020

6) "Ancient Postal Routes - The Postal Route from Christiania to Bergen", Norway: A Europa Stamp of 20g issued by Posten Norge (or Norwegian Post)depicting the difficult mountain route/stretch at Vindhellvegen & Kongevegen: Date od Stamp issue: 17.04.2020

For other interesting posts on issues from the Royal Dutch Mint, Netherlands and PostNL, please visit the following links:

1) The Stelling Van Amsterdam (Defense Line of Amsterdam), Netherlands: Royal Dutch Mint: Latest "Dutch UNESCO Sites Series" coins in the denominations of 5 Euro (Plated Copper), 5 Euro (Silver) and 10 Euro (Gold) issued on 21.11.2017

2) Fanny Blankers-Koen - "The Flying Housewife" who won four Gold Medals at the 1948 London Olympics: 100th Birth Anniversary commemorated with the issue of Gold, Sterling Silver and Silver plated Copper Coins in 2018

3) Netherlands: Gold Ducats - 2018: Single Ducat and Double Ducat Gold Coins minted by the Royal Dutch Mint, Netherlands in 2018

4) Royal Dutch Mint, Utrecht, Netherlands (or the "koninklijke Nederlandse Munt): Crossing the 100th Anniversary milestone with the issue the the World's first QR Coded Coin in 2011: Winner of the prestigious 2013 "Coin of the Year Award" (COTY) & the Most Innovative Coin of the Year" Category

5) The Beemster, Netherlands: 20th Anniversary of Beemster Polder being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site: An efficient Land reclamation Project emulated by several countries world-wide: A set of Gold (10 Euro), Sterling Silver, Silver-plated and Uncirculated (All 5 Euro) coins brought out by the Royal Dutch Mint, Utrecht in 2019

6) Dutch Aviation, Netherlands: Centenary Celebrations (1919-2019): Three coins - one Gold (10 Euros), One Sterling Silver (5 Euros) and a Silver-plated (5 Euros) Coins, along with a Silver medal celebrate this milestone in Dutch Aviation history: Coin issue date: 14.03.2019

7) A New 2019 Fourth Series of Banknotes, Aruba, issued by the Central Bank of Aruba (Centrale Bank van Aruba) on 04.06.2019 comprising five denominations with the theme of "Endangered Flora and Fauna of Aruba" and historic monuments and landmarks

8) Butterflies and Moths of Netherlands: A set of 10 Postage stamps brought out by PostNL on 11.06.2019 under its ongoing Postage Stamp Series titled "Experience Nature "

9) "De Haar Castle", Utrecht, Netherlands: The first Coin to be released in the "Dutch Castles" Coin Series: A silver ducat Trade Coin with a history spanning over 350 years, minted by the Royal Dutch Mint: Date/Year of Delivery: 04/2020

10) First Atlases, Netherlands: Commemorating 450 Years of the first Atlas (1570-2020) & others: A Stamp Sheet of six stamps depicting the Atlases which were compiled in the Netherlands in the 16th & 17th Centuries AD: Stamp Set issued by POstNL: Date of Stamp Set issue: 23.03.2020

Posts from Belgium & Luxembourg:

1) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's Exile to st. Helena: (Part II) 1) A 5 GBP Coin issued by the Royal Mint UK. 2) A"Drie Landen Zilverset" ( ot the "Three Lands Silver set") containing coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint including coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK

2) Special Commemorative circulating 2 Euro Coins issued by Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg with the themes of Economic and Political Institutions 

3) Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg (BENELUX): National Airports Theme: A new collaborative Mint-set brought out in 2019 which incloudes all the circulating coins of the BENELUX region and a medal with the 2019 theme - "Air travel"

4) Pentagons in Nature, Belgium: "Geometry in Nature Series": Third Postage Stamp issue in the series commenced in 2018: Stamp set issue date: 27.01.2020

5) City of Bruges (or Brugge), Belgium: 20 Years as UNENCO World Heritage Site: A 20 Euro Silver Proof Coin issued by the Royakl Dutch Mint under licencing of the Royal Belgian Mint, on behalf of the National Bank of Belgium: Coin issue date: 26.02.2020

6) 100 Years of Nature & Environment Protection, Luxembourg: Commemorating the Centenary Anniversary of the "Letzebuerger Natur a Vulleschutsliga a.s.b.l. (Luxembourg Nature and Bird Protection Society):A 0.80 Euro Stamp issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Date of stamp issue: 10.03.2020

7) Celebrating 25 Years of listing on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Luxembourg: A Commemorative Stamp of 0.80 Euro issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Stamp issue date: 10.03.2020

8) "Ancient Postal Routes - The Postal Route from Christiania to Bergen", Norway: A Europa Stamp of 20g issued by Posten Norge (or Norwegian Post)depicting the difficult mountain route/stretch at Vindhellvegen & Kongevegen: Date od Stamp issue: 17.04.2020