Lake Transportation by Ships and boats 11.6.1981

From ancient times, Norwegians have been a seafaring people, not just because they love the sea, but because they have had to be.  

It is not only coastal Norway that offers boat trips. For example you can take a trip on Norway's largest lake, Lake Mjøsa, with the world's oldest paddle steamer Skibladner. PS Skibladner (1.10) is the only paddle steamer operating in Norway, it sails on lake Mjøsa.

The Bandak-Norsjø Canal, also called the Bandak Canal was built between 1887 and 1892. The Victoria (1.30), built in Oslo and put into service in 1882, is still running. She has been partially rebuilt and is now a popular tourist attraction.

The next stamp features Motorship Faemund II(1905) (1.50) on Lake Famund.

The ship featured on the next stamp was MS STOREGUT (2.30), built in 1956 was a motor ship, railway ferry on Lake Tinn. 

Lake Tinn is one of the largest lakes in Norway, and one of the deepest in Europe. It is located between the municipalities of Tinn and Notodden in Telemark county. Lake Tinn (Tinnsjøen) is one of the largest lakes in Norway, and one of the deepest in Europe.  

Hans Nielsen Hauge 27.4.1971

Hans Nielsen Hauge (April 3, 1771 – March 29, 1824) was a noted revivalist Norwegian lay minister who spoke up against the Church establishment in Norway. Hauge is considered an influential personality in the industrialization of Norway.
Thank you Merja.

Polar Ships 20.9.1972

(60 Norwegian ore) Expedition ship "Maud" in front of iceberg. Maud, named for Queen Maud of Norway, was a ship built for Roald Amundsen for his second expedition to the Arctic. Designed for his intended voyage through the Northeast Passage, the vessel was specially built at a shipyard in Asker, Norway on the Oslofjord.

Maud was launched in June 1916 and christened by Roald Amundsen by crushing a chunk of ice against her bow:

It is not my intention to dishonour the glorious grape, but already now you shall get the taste of your real environment. For the ice you have been built, and in the ice you shall stay most of your life, and in the ice you shall solve your tasks. With the permission of our queen, I christen you: Maud.

(80 Norwegian ore) Polar ship "Fram" in pack ice. Fram ("Forward") is a ship that was used in expeditions of the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, Oscar Wisting, and Roald Amundsen between 1893 and 1912. It was designed and built by the Scottish-Norwegian shipwright Colin Archer for Fridtjof Nansen's 1893 Arctic expedition in which the plan was to freeze Fram into the Arctic ice sheet and float with it over the North Pole. Fram is the strongest wooden ship ever built and still holds the records for sailing farthest north and farthest south. 

At the Fram Museum you can come on board the ship and see how the crew and their dogs managed to survive in the coldest and most dangerous places on earth - the Arctic and the Antarctic. Fram is preserved at the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway.The Fram Museum also has a polar simulator where you can experience both the cold and the dangers of polar expeditions over a hundred years ago.

(1.20kr) Polar ship "Gjoa". Gjøa was the first vessel to transit the Northwest Passage. With a crew of six, Roald Amundsen traversed the passage in a three-year journey, finishing in 1906. The museum's Gjøa building has exhibitions on the Arctic and the Northwest Passage.

Thank you Merja.

NORDEN73 - The Nordic House in Reykjavik 26.6.1973

The stamps on this Norwegian FDC depict The Nordic House in Reykjavik.It was designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. In 1973 the theme for NORDEN stamps was this building. I assume the picture on the stamps was similar in every country, but the value, writing and colours were different.

The Nordic House in Reykjavík is a cultural institution opened in 1968 and operated by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Its goal is to foster and support cultural connections between Iceland and the other Nordic countries. To this end the Nordic House organizes a diverse program of cultural events and exhibitions.

In 1973 Iceland’s stamps celebrated 100 years. Perhaps that’s why this building was chosen. Regular mail service in Iceland was first established by a charter of 13 May 1776, and on 1 January 1873, Iceland issued its first postage stamps.

 Thank you Merja for this FDC.

NORDEN 1977 - Air and Water 2.2.1977

Thank you Merja.

50th anniversary of union of Spitsbergen (Svalbard) with Norway 14.8.1975

Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole. One of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas, it's known for its rugged, remote terrain of glaciers and frozen tundra sheltering polar bears, Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes. The Northern Lights are visible during winter, and summer brings the “midnight sun” – sunlight 24 hours a day.

The stamps on this FDC depict (1.00) Mountains, (1.25) Miners and (1.40) a polar bear.

Norway Celebrates the Centenary of the ITU

These two stamps on the first day cover with the special postmark were issued by Norway at Oslo on 1.4.1965 to commemorate the Centenary of the ITU.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), originally the International Telegraph Union (Union Internationale des Télécommunications), is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies. The ITU coordinates the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and assists in the development and coordination of worldwide technical standards.

ITU was founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union. It took its present name in 1932, and in 1947 became a specialized agency of the United Nations. Although its first area of expertise was the telegraph, the work of ITU now covers the whole ICT sector, from digital broadcasting to the Internet, and from mobile technologies to 3D TV. An organization of public-private partnership since its inception, ITU currently has a membership of 193 countries and some 700 private-sector entities. ITU is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has twelve regional and area offices around the world.

These two stamps on the first day cover with the special postmark were issued by Norway at Oslo on 1.4.1965 to commemorate theCentenary of the ITU.

10th Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty

Norway issued this stamp on the First Day Cover issued in Oslo on 23.6.1971 commemorating the 10^th Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty. The picture on the stamp is that of Roald Engelbert Gravning Amundsen (16 July 1872 - 18 June 1928) who was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the Antarctic expedition (1910-12) to discover the South Pole in December 1911, and he was the first expedition leader to undisputedly reach the North Pole in 1926. Amundsen is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage (1903-06).  I am giving a small brief in the succeeding paragraphs to emphasise the importance being given to Antarctica by some nations.

The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. For the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all of the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude. The treaty, entering into force in 1961 and currently having 50 signatory nations, sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, establishes freedom of scientific investigation and bans military activity on that continent. The treaty was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War. The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat headquarters have been located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, since September 2004.

Queen Maud Land is a c. 2.7 million-square-kilometre (1 million sq mi) region of Antarctica claimed as a dependent territory by Norway. The territory lies between 20° west and 45° east, between the British Antarctic Territory to the west and the Australian Antarctic Territory to the east. The latitudinal limits of the territory are not officially defined. Positioned in East Antarctica, the territory comprises one-sixth of the total area of Antarctica. The claim is named for theNorwegian queen Maud of Wales (1869–1938).

Norwegian Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen was the first person known to have set foot in the territory, in 1930. On 14 January 1939, the territory was claimed by Norway. From 1939 until 1945, Germany claimed New Swabia, which consisted of part of Queen Maud Land. On 23 June 1961, Queen Maud Land became part of the Antarctic Treaty System, making it a demilitarised zone. It is one of two Antarctic claims made by Norway, the other being Peter I Island. They are administrated by the Polar Affairs Department of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security in Oslo.

Most of the territory is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, and a tall ice wall stretches throughout its coast. In some areas further within the ice sheet, mountain ranges breach through the ice, allowing for birds to breed and the growth of a limited flora. The region is divided into the Princess Martha Coast, Princess Astrid Coast, Princess Ragnhild Coast, Prince Harald Coast and Prince Olav Coast. The waters off the coast are called the King Haakon VII Sea.

There is no permanent population, although there are 12 active research stations housing a maximum average of 40 scientists, the numbers fluctuating depending on the season. Six are occupied year-round, while the remainder are seasonal summer stations. The main aerodromes for intercontinental flights, corresponding with Cape Town, South Africa, are Troll Airfield, near the Norwegian Troll research station, and a runway at the Russian Novolazarevskaya Station.

Thank you Pia for this nice FDC.

Norway Tourism 1998

The stamps on this FDC were issued by Norway on 20.4.1998 to promote tourism. They chose these three sites for the stamp issue, namely, The Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo, Ålesund is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county and the mountain Hamarøyskaftet. A short brief about the three will not be out of place. The places I am telling you about are shown on the map on the cover.

The Holmenkollen ski jump is a landmark in Oslo. This is the hill that was demolished in 2008 to make way for a new one in 2010. Holmenkollen is a neighborhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. In addition to being a residential area, the area has been a ski recreation area since the late 19th century, with its famous, eponymous, ski jumping hill, the Holmenkollbakken, hosting competitions since 1892. To the north, the area borders to the woodlands area Marka.

The town of Ålesund is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality, as well as the principal shipping town of the Sunnmøre district. Ålesund Municipality has a population of 45,033 as of 2013, while the greater Ålesund urban area has a population of 48,460 (this also includes most of neighbouring Sula Municipality as well).

Ålesund has the most important fishing harbour in Norway. The town's fishing fleet is one of the most modern in Europe. Ålesund and surroundings also has a large furniture industry. Some well-known household items are manufactured here. In the 1950s and 1960s, Ålesund was one of the chief stations of the herring fishery business.

Hamarøy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppeid. Other villages include Innhavet, Karlsøy, Presteid, Skutvika, Tømmerneset, Tranøy, and Ulvsvåg.

The mountain Hamarøyskaftet has long been regarded as nature's own phallic symbol. Hamarøyskaftet (locally known as the "handle") is one of the mountains that make up Hamarøytindan in Hamarøy municipality in Nordland .

The mountain is 512 m.  and is located approximately in the middle of mountain range, approx. 5.3 km southwest of Hamsund and 7.5 miles northeast of Skutvik , and is a distinctive landmark with its almost vertical sides and "swaying" in the back. To the northeast lies Shaft heath against Eldridtinden, and in the southwest Sandheia against Vassengfjellet.

The walk up is described as a simple climb that most can do, but it is recommended that one should have a guide while on the trail. Mountaineer Martin Ekroll from Skrova was the first to climb Hamarøyskaftet in 1885 .

The stamp with a value of NOK 5.50 of Hamarøyskafet photographed by Johan Brun was named as the year's most beautiful postage stamp.

Thank you Pia for this pretty FDC.

Norwegian Scientists

The four stamps on this cover were issued by Norway on 15.10.1970 to honour their scientists. The cover was given to me by my friend Pia.

Johan Ernst Gunnerus(1718 – 23 September 1773) was a Norwegian bishop and botanist. Gunnerus was born at Christiania. He was bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros from 1758 until his death and also a professor of theology at the University of Copenhagen.

Hans Strøm(25 January 1726 – 1 February 1797) was a prominent Norwegian zoologist and naturalist. He is best associated with his topographical description of Sunnmøre. Hans Strøm' was born in the traditional district of Sunnmøre, in Borgund in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. His father was a clergyman and many other relatives of both his father and mother were ministers. He attended the Bergen Cathedral School. He was educated as a Lutheran clergyman and in 1745 took a theological degree at the University of Copenhagen. Then he worked from 1750 to 1764 as chaplain in Borgund. In 1764 he became parish priest, first in Volda where he served until 1779, when he went to Eike where he served as Vicar for 18 years.

Hans Strøm was the first Norwegian who gave species descriptions for Norwegian animals. The results of his research was published as Physisk og Oeconomisk Beskrivelse over Fogderiet Søndmør I-II (Copenhagen, 1762-1766), a work that established his reputation as a scientific authority. He followed up this work with a number of articles, particularly where the natural sciences were strongly represented. He co-founded the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters in 1760, with Gerhard Schoning, the historian, and Johan Ernst Gunnerus, bishop of Trondheim. In 1779, Strøm was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He was also elected as a member of a number of science academies in Norway, Denmark and Germany.

Michael Sars(30 August 1805 – 22 October 1869) was a Norwegian theologian and biologist. Michael Sars was one of the last great descriptive zoologists who catalogued organisms more or less equally successfully in all major animal groups. Sars also described fossils from various fossil beds in Norway and appears to have been keenly interested in all sorts of other issues. Sars was asked by the Parliament of Norway to investigate the biology of Norwegian fisheries, such as the herring and cod fisheries. He had started these investigations by the time of his death, but most of them were completed and published posthumously by his son, Georg Ossian Sars. He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1855.

Georg Ossian Sars(April 20, 1837 – April 9, 1927) was a Norwegian marine and freshwater biologist. Georg Ossian Sars was born on April 20, 1837, in Kinn, Norway (now part of Flora), the son of Michael Sars and Maren Sars; the historian Ernst Sars was his elder brother, and the singer Eva Nansen was his younger sister. He grew up in Manger, Hordaland, where his father was the local priest. He studied from 1852 to 1854 at Bergen Cathedral School, from 1854 at Christiania Cathedral School, and joined the university at Christiana (now the University of Oslo) in 1857. He indulged his interest in natural history while studying medicine; having collected water fleas in local lakes with Wilhelm Lilljeborg's works, he discovered new species, and this resulted in his first scientific publication. Georg Ossian Sars had a good memory and excellent drawing skills, and illustrated some of his father's zoological works.

Sars was a founding investigator of ichthyoplankton. In 1864, he was commissioned by the Norwegian government to investigate fisheries around the Norwegian coast. One of his first discoveries was that the of cod are pelagic, that is, they inhabit the open water column. He continued to receive the patronage of the government throughout his career. Sars' primary research focus was on crustaceans and their systematics. He described many new species in his career, including in his magnum opus, An Account of the Crustacea of Norway. He was awarded the Linnean Medal in 1910.

Georg Ossian Sars never married, and died on April 9, 1927 in Oslo. He is remembered in the scientific names of a number of marine invertebrates, as well as the journal Sarsia, and the flagship of the Norwegian research fleet, the RV G.O.Sars. 

1970 - European Conservation Year

During 1970, over twenty countries took part in a European Conservation Year. Organised under the guidance of the Council of Europe, it aimed to focus attention on the way we affect and change the lands we live in by our various activities - as individuals and as communities. Housing, industry, transport, all these will continue to bring changes to or surroundings. Yet all these things must be fitted in, together with the needs of food and timber production and of leisure and recreation, without destroying the quality of our environment.

The aims of the European Conservation Year were:

• to agree on policies which will help to conserve and improve the quality of our environment and to find the best ways to put them into action;
• to make conservation problems clearer to everyone, so that there will be better support for any measures needed to deal with them.

The European Conservation Year opened with a conference in Strasbourg in February 1970. Delegates from the countries taking part discussed four major topics: the ways in which urbanisation, industry, agriculture and forestry, and the new demands of leisure, are affecting the land in which we live, work and play. The conference issued a declaration which went to each government and to public authorities in each of the countries to act upon.

This issue commemorates Norways' participation in the European Conservation Year with these four lovely stamps on this cover. The cover was given to me by my friend Pia.

The four cards show a wolf; a Pasque flower; The Voringsfossen waterfall, which is the 83rd highest waterfall in Norway. It lies at the top of the Mabodalen in the municipality of Eidfjord, in Hordaland, not far from the road that connects Oslo with Bergen. It is perhaps the most famous in the country and a major tourist attraction. And the fourth stamp depicts a white-tailed sea eagle.

Centenary of the Norwegian Red Cross

Norway 1965 set of 2 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Norwegian Red Cross, depicting coastal and mountain scenes. The Norwegian Red Cross (Norges Røde Kors) was founded September 22, 1865 by prime minister Frederik Stang. In 1907 the Norwegian Ministry of Defence authorized the organization for voluntary medical aid in war. The Norwegian Red Cross was one of the first national organizations in the International Red Cross. The organization now has 150,000 members and provides a variety of humanitarian services, including care for old and the infirm, prisoner visits, outdoor rescue, and international work.

It might be of interest to some to know that, The International Committee of the Red Cross was declared the winner of the Peace Prize both in 1917 and in 1944. The main reason was its efforts during the two World Wars.

In 1963, it was 100 years since the Peace Prize Laureate in 1901, Henri Dunant, founded the Red Cross. On the occasion of the centenary, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wished to call attention to the importance of the organization in the global community. It also wished to reward the organization's work since World War II, but this time the Swiss Red Cross Committee shared the honour with the League of Red Cross Societies. Together, the two organizations made up what is now known as the International Red Cross.

Thank you Pia for this nice FDC.

Islands of Træna in Norway

The stamp on his cover given to me by Pia depicts the islands of Træna in Norway

Træna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region.  The administrative centre of the municipality is the island/village of Husøya. Other villages include Selvær and Sanna.

Fishing is the economic mainstay of Træna. Connections to mainland Norway are by means of boat and ferry. Routes are provided to Sandnessjøen, Nesna and Stokkvågen. Each year Træna plays hosts a music festival called Traena Music Festival.

The islands of Træna have been the site of a number of archeological discoveries, indicating that the island has been populated since the Stone Age.

Centenary of the Norwegian Mountain Treking Association

To commemorate the Centenary of the Norwegian Mountain Treking Association, a set of 3 stamps were  issued on 22nd Jan. 1968.My friend Pia sent me this cover.

The Norwegian Trekking Association (Den norske turistforening, DNT) is a Norwegian association which maintains mountain trails and cabins in Norway. The association was founded on 21 January 1868 with the scope "to help and develop tourism in this country". Today the goal is to work for simple, secure and environmentally friendly outdoor activities. DNT has currently more than 200,000 individual members. It also has several "honorary members", prominent people who has shown a keen interest in Norwegian nature and given the country publicity as a tourist destination, among them Kofi Annan and Katie Melua. The secretary-general of the association is Kristin Krohn Devold, former Minister of Defence.

The mountains of Norway have always been utilised by the Norwegian people since the first Norwegians followed the reindeer when the ice cap retracted ten thousand years ago.

Milk Producers of Norway

This lovely cover and the pretty cow and goat stamps were issued by Norway on 24.3.1981 to commemorate the Centenary of Norwegian Milk Producers National Association, Thank you Merja for this lovely cover.

Norwegian Engineering

These Norwegian stamps issued on 5.10.1979 commemorated the Norwegian advancement un Bridge-building, Dam construction rigs at sea and the science and technology advance ment per se. This interesting FDC was given to me by Merja.

Folk Costumes

Every three years the Nordic postal services issue Nordic stamps with a common theme. In 1989 Nordic stamps eighth in succession and the theme was “Folk Costumes”. The Norwegian stamps on this First Day Cover issued on 20.4.1989 feature a woman’s and a man’s costume. The woman’s costume is from Setesdal. This is an embroidered, richly adorned with silver costume. The costume has two skirts – ablack one worn over a white one. The headgear is a black woolen kerchief with a printed pattern of roses.

The man is wearing a Kautokeino costume. The cap belonging to this costume has a star shaped crown. Both the cap and the smock-type jacket are decorated with brightly coloured ribbons. The skirt of the jacket is pleated and the jacket is worn with a colourful leather belt.
The postmark represents the tongue of a shoe belonging to a folk costume from Hardanger, while the illustration on the cover depicts a brooch made by Frisenberg of Lillehammer in traditional Gudbrandsdal style. Merja gave me this pretty FDC.

Norwegian Monuments

The Europa theme for 1978 was ‘Monuments’. Accordingly Norway issued these two stamps shown on the First Day Cover on 2.5.1978 to commemorate their monuments. Shown are the two well preserved Stave Churches in Norway. The largest stave church in Norway is Heddal (1.25). It is not only a medieval architectural masterpiece, but also a living church for today's congregation in Notodden in Telemark. On the wall in the exterior passage, you can see runes inscribed, telling that the church was dedicated to the holy Virgin Mary. Inside the church you can see a beautifully carved wooden chair from around 1200. The wall-painting that you see today is dated 1668. Underneath, on the west wall, there are remains of the original painting from about 1300.

However, the most visited and most photographed stave church in Norway is Borgund (1.80) in Lærdal beside the Sognefjord. It is also one of the best preserved stave churches. Several runic inscriptions have been found on the church walls.

Borgund. Built around 1180 and is dedicated to the Apostle Andrew. The church is exceptionally well preserved and is one of the most distinctive stave churches in Norway. Some of the finest features are the lavishly carved portals and the roof carvings of dragons's heads. The stave churches are Norway's most important contribution to world architecture and Norway's oldest preserved. This FDC was sent to me by my dear friend Merja.

Norway 21.9.2007 - Sea Food

Ella Thank you very much indeed for this pretty FDC from Norway, issued on 21 September 2007. The theme of the four stamps is - what else but Mmmmm Sea food - Fauna (Marine fauna). The stamps in depict Pink Shrimp, European Lobster, Edible Brown Crab, and the Squat Lobster. Norwegians do have a lovely time with sea food – don’t they?

Norway – Christmas 1991

Sissel sent me this nice FDC with two Christmas stamps issued in 1991. Do enlarge the card by clicking on it, to read about the goat-head!!!