Posta is the postal service of the Faroe Islands and was founded on 1 April 1976 under the Home Rule of the Faroe Islands. On 16 December 2005, it became a public joint stock company under the name P/F Postverk Føroya (retroactive from 1 January 2005). About 290 clerks work for Posta. There are 34 post offices, and 90 postal carriers supporting the country’s 17,000 households and 48,000 inhabitants.
When the first Faeroese stamps were issued in 1975, the Faeroese Post was an integrated part of the Danish Post Office, and it is thus Denmark that has issued the first 14 Faeroese stamps. Slania engraved 11 of these first 14 stamps. Slania’s engravings were printed in the Danish Post Office’s Printing House. On 1st April 1976, the Faeroese Post Office was established, and the event was celebrated with the issuance of a set of three stamps, of which Slania engraved the two.
- 30.01.1975. Definitives. First postage stamp showing the Faeroe Islands, engraved by Czeslaw Slania after an ancient map in the book “Færoæ et Færoa Reservata” (1673) by Lucas Jacobsen Debes.
- 30.01.1975. Definitives. Second postage stamp showing a fragment of the Nordic Countries, engraved by Czeslaw Slania after an ancient map (1573) by Abraham Ortelius. The original map by Ortelius has been issued on a souvenir sheet by Iceland in 1984, for the benefit of the stamp exhibition Nordia ’84.
- 30.01.1975. Definitives. Two stamps at the left showing a view of Vidoy after a painting by Eyvindur Mohr. Two stamps at the right stamps showing a view of Svinoy, after a photograph by Ásmundur Poulsen.
On 1st April 1976 the Faeroese Post Office was established as an independent body and following stamps and the first Faeroe stamps issued by the islands themselves, they have inscribed “Postverk Føroya 1 April 1976” (Faeroese Post Office).
01.04.1976. Overland postman of yesteryear, engraved after a photograph by Otto Blehr. The postman’s name was J.P. Henriksen.
01.04.1976. Faeroese boat, engraved by Czeslaw Slania after a drawing by Fridtjof Joensen.
07.12.1978. 150th anniversary of Regional Library.
- 19.03.1979. The Faeroese Ram. One of more beauty stamps by Slania for me.
- 07.05.1979. Europa Stamps. Postal History (two stamps at the left). To the far left the nº1 Danish stamp, bisected for exchange money, and to its right, the first Faroese stamp, overprinted.
About Europa stamps, note that this issued were going to be printed in Finland. Summer of 1980, Printing Works of Finland moved to out of Helsinki and the printing of these stamps was one of the first ones to take place in the new premises, giving enormous problems with the printing plates. First print of this issue was not satisfactory and stamps were incinerated in a dump of Torshavn, but not all stamps were burned. A group of childs found some sheets unburned and they are now very scarce pieces. The right issue were made in Swiss Printing Works. |
| 01.10.1979. International Childrens’ Year. Stamps were engraved from original drawing by the childs (from left to right) Edel (8 years), Rasmus (7 years) and Snorri (8 years). |
The pew gables originate from the only medieval church still in use on the Faeroe Islands, St. Olav’s Church in the village of Kirkjubøur. During the Catholic period the village of Kirkjubøur was the Episcopal residence of the Faeroes and it’s cultural centre, and the St. Olav’s Church, which is presumed to have been consecrated to the virgin Mary, has served as cathedral throughout the Middle Ages. The church was reconstructed in 1874. It is not known with certainty how old this church is, but it is believed to be from the 12th century.
06.10.1980. Carved Church Pew Gables. Other similar sets were printed in 1984 and 2001. From left to right stamps (pew gables) depict: Maria & Child, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter and Christ´s head and finally Apostle Paul.
The below set of Faeroese flowers is NOT engraved by Czeslaw Slania, but designed by him, and show beautifully another side of the master engraver’s prolific talents.
| 17.03.1980. Faeroese Flora. From left to right: Sea Plantain, Glacier Buttercup, Purple Saxifrage, Starry Saxifrage, Faeroese Lady’s Mantle. |
02.03.1981. Sketches of Ancient Torshavn (capital of the Faeroe Islands). Drawings by the Faeroese artist Ingalvur av Reyni (1920-2005).
01.06.1981. Europa Stamps. Folklore. At the left The Ring Dance, at the right The Garter Dance. Stamps issued and die stage proof by the artist.
- 02.05.1983. Ancient Chess Boards. Only sold in booklets containing 3 of each stamp. The stamps are horizontally imperforated.
06.06.1983. Europa Stamps. Nobel Prize Winners. To the left the Danish scientist Niels Ryberg Finsen, (1860-1904) who invented chemo-therapy against cancer, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1903. To the right the scientist Alexander Fleming, who found the penicillin.
30.01.1984. Second set of Pew Gables from Kirkjubøur. From lef to right: St. John and shield with three crowns, St. Jacob and shield with crossed keys, St. Thomas with shield with crossbeam and St. Judas Taddeus with toulouse cross halo.
02.04.1984. Europa. CEPT 25 years. Stylized bridge.
- 28.05.1984. Faeroese Writers. From lef to right: Sverri Patursson (1871-1960), Jóannes Patursson (1866-1946), Janus Djurhuus (1881-1948), and Hans Andreas Djurhuus (1883-1951).
10.09.1984. Historical Fishing: At the left fisherment, in the middle a faroese boat called “slupper” and at the right a helmsmen.
04.02.1985. Faroe Shoreline Scenes. Paintings by Edward Hayes. From top to bottom and left to right: Torshavn in 1789, Rock of Skaeling, Looking north from Torshavn to Streymoy and The moving stones at Eyturoy.
- 03.06.1985. Paintings from the Faeroese Museum of Art.
– Thomas Arge (1942-1976): “Garden in Hoyvik” (1973).
– Ruth Smith (1913-1958): “Self-Portrait” (1952).
– Steffan Danielsen (1922-1976): Winter Day at Nolsoy (1959).