1324) "Ancient Postal Routes through blizzards, snow covered mountain routes and straits", Faroe Islands, Denmark: Two Stamps of 17KR and 20KR (Danish Kroners) issued by "Postverk Foroya" (Faroe Islands Post) under the EUROPA theme for 2020: Date of Stamp set issue: 27.04.2020:
The Faroe Islands are 18 islands in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, Northwest of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway. The Islands are a self-governing island territory of Denmark.
EUROPA Postage Stamps:
EUROPA Postage stamps (also known as EUROPA-CEPT-European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations - until 1992) are special stamps issued by European Postal Administrations/Enterprises and bear the official EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.
EUROPA stamps underline cooperation in the posts domain, aimed at promotion of philately. They also build awareness of the common roots, culture and history of Europe and its common goals.
As such, EUROPA stamp issues are among the most collected and most popular stamps in the world.
Since the first issue in 1956, EUROPA stamps have been a tangible symbol of Europe's desire for closer integration and cooperation.
When CEPT decided to focus more on telecommunications in 1993, PostEurop took over the management of the EUROPA issues. The CEPT logo was replaced by a new logo created by PostEurop i.e. the word "EUROPE" leaning towards the right hand side.
Each year, PostEurop's "Stamps & Philately Group" selects the EUROPA Stamp theme:
1993 - Contemporary Art
1994 - Great Discoveries
1995 - Peace and Freedom
1996 - Famous Women
1997 - Tales and Legends
1998 - Festivals and National Celebrations
1999 - Nature Reserves and Parks
2000 - Common Design, Tower of 6 Stars
2001 - Water - Treasure of Nature
2002 - The Circus
2003 - Poster Art
2004 - Holidays
2005 - Gastronomy
2006 - Integration through the Eyes of Young People
2007 - Scout Centenary
2008 - Writing Letters
2009 - Astronomy
2010 - Children Books
2011 - Forests - International Year of Forests
2012 - Visit …. (for instance "Visit Finland")
2013 - Van of the Postman
2014 - Musical Instruments - National Musical Instruments
2015 - Old Toys
2016 - Ecology in Europe - "Think Green", Common Design
2017 - Castles
2018 - Bridges
2019 - National Birds
2020 - Ancient Postal Routes
2021 - the theme will be "Endangered National Wildlife"
2022 - the theme will be "Stories and Myths"
Ancient Postal Routes through blizzards, snow covered mountain routes and straits - Faroe Islands, Denmark:
Postal routes in the Faroe Islands have always been difficult and challenging. Formidable mountains had to be climbed and deceptive straits crossed to deliver the mail and sometimes things went very wrong.
The two Stamp variants of 17KR and 20KR issued in the set show difficult mountainous routes, a mail-boat "Olivur" plying on a dangerous strait with massive currents and two postmen trying to stay alive on a mountain route during a snow-blizzard, the earlier postmen took, some perishing in the line of duty.
The two Stamp variants CTO (Cancelled To Order)
The First Day Cover (FDC) is titled "EUROPA 2020: SOGULIGAR POSTRUTUR".
At left it shows the mailboat - "Olavur". At top right is affixed the two stamps of 17Kr and 20Kr issued in the set.
The special Cancellation Handstamp/postmark shows a postman going on a difficult/treacherous mountainous route to deliver mail, with a staff in his hand. The Cancellation is of "TORSHAVN UTGAVUDAGIN Post Office" and the Cancellation is dated - "27.04.2020".
Two First Day Covers (FDCs) bearing individual Stamps of 17KR and 20KR respectively.
Two First Day Covers (FDCs) bearing cancelled individual Blocks (sets of four Stamps).
EUROPA Postage Stamps:
EUROPA Postage stamps (also known as EUROPA-CEPT-European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations - until 1992) are special stamps issued by European Postal Administrations/Enterprises and bear the official EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.
EUROPA stamps underline cooperation in the posts domain, aimed at promotion of philately. They also build awareness of the common roots, culture and history of Europe and its common goals.
As such, EUROPA stamp issues are among the most collected and most popular stamps in the world.
Since the first issue in 1956, EUROPA stamps have been a tangible symbol of Europe's desire for closer integration and cooperation.
When CEPT decided to focus more on telecommunications in 1993, PostEurop took over the management of the EUROPA issues. The CEPT logo was replaced by a new logo created by PostEurop i.e. the word "EUROPE" leaning towards the right hand side.
Each year, PostEurop's "Stamps & Philately Group" selects the EUROPA Stamp theme:
1993 - Contemporary Art
1994 - Great Discoveries
1995 - Peace and Freedom
1996 - Famous Women
1997 - Tales and Legends
1998 - Festivals and National Celebrations
1999 - Nature Reserves and Parks
2000 - Common Design, Tower of 6 Stars
2001 - Water - Treasure of Nature
2002 - The Circus
2003 - Poster Art
2004 - Holidays
2005 - Gastronomy
2006 - Integration through the Eyes of Young People
2007 - Scout Centenary
2008 - Writing Letters
2009 - Astronomy
2010 - Children Books
2011 - Forests - International Year of Forests
2012 - Visit …. (for instance "Visit Finland")
2013 - Van of the Postman
2014 - Musical Instruments - National Musical Instruments
2015 - Old Toys
2016 - Ecology in Europe - "Think Green", Common Design
2017 - Castles
2018 - Bridges
2019 - National Birds
2020 - Ancient Postal Routes
2021 - the theme will be "Endangered National Wildlife"
2022 - the theme will be "Stories and Myths"
Ancient Postal Routes through blizzards, snow covered mountain routes and straits - Faroe Islands, Denmark:
Postal routes in the Faroe Islands have always been difficult and challenging. Formidable mountains had to be climbed and deceptive straits crossed to deliver the mail and sometimes things went very wrong.
At left it shows the mailboat - "Olavur". At top right is affixed the two stamps of 17Kr and 20Kr issued in the set.
The special Cancellation Handstamp/postmark shows a postman going on a difficult/treacherous mountainous route to deliver mail, with a staff in his hand. The Cancellation is of "TORSHAVN UTGAVUDAGIN Post Office" and the Cancellation is dated - "27.04.2020".
The Route - Klaksvik-Vioareioi (On Land):
One of the most challenging postal routes on land was Klaksvik-Vioareioi, requiring hardy mail carriers to overcome one of the most inaccessible mountain areas in the Faroe Islands.
Postman Jakup's Demise:
On 24.11.1887, the very first postman in the Northern Islands, Jakup Eliassen (1836-1887) embarked on the route . Although the weather was reasonably good, mountains were covered with snow and ice. Postman Jakup or Jakke i Vagi, as he was also called, was never seen alive again.
A search and rescue party was quickly assembled and the following day, Jakup's body was found on the precipitous hillside North of Arnafjorour. It became clear that he had chopped tracks in the steep path up to the passage at Gjogy, but lost his footing and fallen down approx. 350.0 metres, plunging headlong over a vertical cliff of approx. 19.0 metres.
On the map depicted on the stamp postman Jakup's route is marked in yellow.
On the map depicted on the stamp postman Jakup's route is marked in yellow.
The Postmen on the Mountain:
The Stamp motif depicts another dramatic event on the same route. A few decades after Jakup suffered his fatal accident, two postmen were heading in the other direction - from Vioareioi to Klaksvik. One of them, Jacob Vitalis Jakke i Krotugrovini, recounted the experience in an interview recorded in 1971.
Having crossed the mountain ridge facing Arnafiorour, the two postmen were taken aback when they were hit by a heavy snowstorm. At a place called "Breytarstigar", they realised that they would not be able to climb down, because of darkness and snowdrifts. They managed to reach a rocky hill close by where they built a shelter of stones for their own protection. The night was cold and the wind blew fiercely.
In order not to freeze to death, they started tearing down the stone shelter and piling the stones up again. Thus, the night passed - they stacked the stones, tore them down again and sometimes fought each other in jest to keep warm.
At daybreak, they were able to see their surroundings and started digging themselves down through the snowdrifts with the shovels they had brought with them, hauling each other down in ropes over the steepest cliffs until they finally reached safety in Arnafiorour.
The red line on the map indicates the route travelled by these two postmen.
The Route: Vestmanna - Vagar:
The strait of Vestmanna is notorious among sailors for its exceptionally strong currents. It is especially difficult to traverse when the wind and currents are moving in opposite directions.
A Mailboat goes down:
On 01.10.1920 (Friday), it was very windy - strong gusts and ocean currents coming from opposite directions.
The mailboat was a traditional open Faroese boat, a so-called "six-oared boat", equipped with an outboard motor. It was heading to "Sunnaru gjogy" at Kvivik by Streymoy island to collect the postman - Hans David Niclasen (50), a well-known trade unionist at the time. He was to be ferried to the landing site "Futaklettur" on Vagar Island. The crew consisted of two men - Johannes Jacobsen (32) and Karl Alfred Olsen (19) from Vestmanna. Also boarding the boat at Kvivik was a female passenger - Sofie Nattestad (27) from Miovagur.
Her brother-in-law had accompanied her from Kvivik to "Sunnaru gjogy" and stood ashore watching while the boat crossed the strait. About halfway across the strait the boat suddenly vanished from sight, capsizing in the rough weather.
The brother-in-law sounded the alarm and people from Kvivik and Vestmanna rushed out on the strait in boats to search for survivors. The only thing they found was some debris. All four boat occupants lost their lives in this tragic accident.
Mailboat "Olavur":
In 1930, the brothers built a new decked boat - "Olavur" - which replaced Helgi on the mail route.
In 1945, Sam Olsen's son Alfred started sailing with "Olavur" and when Sam passed away in 1947, he and his uncle John continued transporting mail, goods and passengers across the strait of Vestmanna. Later, Alfred's brothers, Karmal and Torkil were enlisted as crew members on the mailboat.
This was before any regular road connections existed between Torshavn and Vestmanna. When the mountains were snowbound, "Olavur" often sailed to Torshavn to collect mail. On its way back to Vestmanna, the boat docked in Leynar, Kvivik and Futaklettur and also sailed to the tiny village of Slaettanes on Vagar Island until 1964.
The road connection between Toirshavn and Vestmanna was not completed until the mid-sixties. This resulted in changed regulations for transport across the strait of Vestmanna,
In 1965, "Olavur" was replaced with a lerger passenger ferry, named "Bragd", which could even carry cars. Later larger ferries were brought in and when the long subsea road tunnel between Streymoy and Vagar was completed in 2002, the time of ferries delivering mail was over.
The small proud mailboat "Olavur" is still at anchor in Vestmanna, well maintained and fully functional despite its 90th Anniversary in 2020. It is a wirthy reminder of bygone times and challenging postal routes.
The Technical Details:
Stamp set issue date: 27.04.2020
Designer: Anker eli Petersen
Printer: Cartor Security Printing, France
Process: Offset
Stamp values: 17.00 & 20.00 DKK
Links to posts on "Ancient Postal Routes on this Blog, the theme of PostEurop for 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
7) "Ancient Postal Routes through blizzards, snow covered mountain routes and straits", Faroe Islands: Two Stamps of 17KR and 20KR issued by Posta (Faroe Islands Post) under the Europa theme for 2020: Date of stamp set issue: 27.04.2020
Links:
Some other interesting Posts from Finland & Nordic Countries:
15) "Franking Labels" from Greenland: Franking Labels issued by POST Greenland Filatelia since 2009 onwards: A brief analysis
16) 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
Links to other Posts on Aland issues:
3) SEPAC 2020, Artwork, Aland Islands: A tribute to Aland Artist Henrik Nylund (1945-1982) by Aland Post in the 2020 Series of SEPAC stamps featuring artwork in National Collections and issued by Small European Administrations: Date of Stamp issue: 05.03.2020
For other interesting posts on issues from the Royal Dutch Mint, Netherlands and PostNL, please visit the following links:
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:
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
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