Garden Park IV of Iceland

Following the previous issue, the Iceland Post release the fourth of park’s stamp series on May 3, 2012. The issue comprises of two postage stamp and depicted the garden parks are The Akureyri Park  and The Hallargarður park .  The stamps have designed by Hany Hadaya, same as the previous issues.

 

The Akureyri Park is run by the town as a botanical garden and a nature park. The latter was formally opened to the public in 1912 while the botanic garden opened in 1957. The Park Society was founded in 1909 with Sigridur Sæmundsdóttir as its first president. Margrethe Schiöth contributed to the growth and development of the park for more than thirty years. The Akureyri Embellishment Society promoted the acquisition of a remarkable and unusual botanical collection owned by Jón Rögnvaldsson, a pioneer in the cultivation of plants in Iceland. Now the park contains nearly 7000 foreign species and most of the Icelandic flora.

Garden Parks III of Iceland

Following the previous issues, Iceland Post  released the third of park’s stamp series on May 4, 2011. The issue comprises of two postage stamps which depicted  garden parks, Austurvöllur and The Parliament park.

Austurvöllur is a park in the center of Reykjavík. A statue of Jón Sigurðsson, hero of Icelandic independence is in the center of the park. Around Austurvöllur there are many of the more remarkable buildings of the city, among them the Parliament building, Hotel Borg, the building of the National Telegraph and the Reykjavik Cathedral. Austurvöllur is a popular destination among city people on sunny days.

Garden Parks II of Iceland

 

To commemorate numerous parks found in  Iceland, in regularly  Iceland Post issued the stamp series features the park’s theme . On May 6, 2010, Iceland Post issued three postage stamps features Garden Park as the second series of this theme. The parks have depicted are Jónsgarður ,  Hellisgerði and Skallagrímsgarður.

 

Jónsgarður is the oldest garden park in the town of Ísafjörður, originally opened in 1922.   Jón Jónsson, the tailor, and his wife Karlinna Jóhannsdóttir pioneered in the development of the garden. In the seventies the park went unattended. In 1978 the town‘s gardening supervisor was instructed to resume work on it. It was named after the initial pioneers and a memorial in their honor of them was erected is in the garden.

Lake Ball of Iceland

 

Lake ball (Aegagropila linnaei), also known as Marimo in Japanese, is a rare species of filamentous green algae found in a few lakes in the northern hemisphere. Colonies of such balls are known only in three lakes, Myvatn in Iceland, Lake Akan in Japan and to a much lesser extent in Lake Öisu in Estonia.

The lake ball is a protected species and considered a rare natural phenomenon. Lake ball has been protected as a nature reserve in Iceland since 2006. Therefore Iceland Post issued a single postage stamp feature this rare species as  a remarkable fact in the world On September 18, 2009. The stamp shown three lake balls,  the one of them  was depicted the  Iceland’s map. 

Snæfellsnes National Park - SEPAC

The theme of the joint issue of 11 small nations in Europe (SEPAC) is landscape. The motif of the Icelandic stamps in this third and last issue is Snæfellsjökull (Snæfell Glacier) National Park. SEPAC stands for Small European Postal Administration Cooperation. This cooperation is primarily concerned with issuing postage stamps but also includes sales and marketing.

The name of Snæfellsjökull  has been known in the world through the novel of French author Jules Verne  with the  title of „Journey to the Centre of the World“.

Snæfellsjökull National Park was founded by a legislation on nature conservation in June 2001 and is the fourth national park in Iceland. The area is characterized by its extremely diverse geology. Formerly it was the site of hectic activity with up to 60 fishing boats and 300-400 seamen during the fishing.

Snæfellsjökull National park lies in the westernmost part of Snæfellsnes peninsula and covers 170 square kilometres.The Park's purpose is to protect and conserve the area’s unique landscape, indigenous plant and animal life as well as important historical relics.

The Snæfellsnes peninsula coast line is very varied.  Rocky coves  alternatewith black sand beaches, light sand beaches and precipitous sea cliffs that teem with sea birds in the nesting season. The lowland within the national park is mostly lava that has flowed from Snæfellsjökull and from smaller craters in the lowland.

As one would predict, the most prominent birds in the area are seabirds. They nest along the entire coastline, and among the species found are guillemot, Brunnich’s guillemot,razorbill, fulmar, kittiwake and shag.

Soil in the outer stretches of Snæfellsnes tends to be quite permeable, but vegetation in the area is nonetheless quite diverse. The coastal area is rich in vegetation and has many clear ponds containing colourful seaweed and cupus.

Thick moss covers the lava in most places, while flowers thrive in sheltered nooks and crannies.The ferns are the most conspicuous. Out of the 16 species of fern found in Iceland, 11 grow here.

Snæfellsjökull  National  park offers a wide variety of hiking routes of all levels of difficulty. Some of them are staked or marked, and most of them are easy to navigate.Resources:  Environment Agency of Iceland

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