Sermitsiaq to be featured on a stamp

The 13 smallest of the many postal services in Europe and the North Atlantic each issue a stamp with a common theme once a year. This year, it is “Iconic Landmark”, and Tusass’ stamp manager Allan Pertti Frandsen had no doubts about the choice of motif for the Greenlandic stamp.

“The Sermitsiaq mountain is both a cultural and natural symbol for Nuuk and Greenland, argues Allan Pertti Frandsen.

The task was solved by photographer Lars Kleemann-Andersen, 43, whose overview image, taken from a helicopter, shows the interaction between the modern city and the ancient mountain. Sermitsiaq is a living motif that changes rapidly depending on wind and weather, light and season. The current image on the stamp shows the city and the mountains from their best summer side, where Sermitsiaq is located as the gateway to the Nuuk Fjord.

– Sermitsiaq is a strong landmark that brings nature close to the people in the country's capital, says Lars Kleemann-Andersen to the newspaper Sermitsiaq.

The mountains in Greenland

Lars Kleemann-Andersen comes from Uummannaq.

– My childhood town has its own iconic landmark with the heart-shaped mountain, and in general, Greenland is enriched with many beautiful – and photogenic mountains. We can always return to the same mountain and find new motifs.

Lars Kleemann-Andersen trained as a photographer at the Media School in Viborg 1999-2004, and he has since worked in Nuuk for Inuk Medie, Deluxus Studio and Air Greenland. In 2012-14 he was chairman of the board of the restarted association of filmmakers in Greenland; today Film.gl

13 countries collaborate

Small European Postal Administrations Co-operation, abbreviated SEPAC, is a network of smaller European and North Atlantic postal administrations to create increased interest in stamp collecting. In a time of decreasing postal volumes, the sale of stamps to collectors is becoming an increasingly important part of the business.

SEPAC today consists of the postal administrations of Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Gibraltar, Monaco, the Vatican, Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Greenland issued its first SEPAC stamp with a common theme in 2007.