Magyar Posta is issuing a commemorative stamp to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the renowned explorer Roald Amundsen. The new issue designed by the graphic artist Orsolya Kara was produced by ANY Security Printing Company, and will be available at first day post offices and Filaposta in Hungary and may also be ordered from Magyar Posta’s online store from 1 April 2022.
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (1872-1928) was a Norwegian polar explorer, discoverer and the most successful figure in the exploration of the polar regions. Fridtjof Nansen’s expedition traversing Greenland inspired him to devote his life to exploration. Amundsen was the first to sail through the Northwest Passage (1903- 1906) and the first to reach the South Pole on 14 December 1911 on his 1910-12 expedition. He gained honour for being the first on several occasions.
On 4 June 1928, he set off by plane to rescue Umberto Nobile, whose airship Italia had crashed. A few weeks later, pieces of the plane were found near Tromsø – presumably, Amundsen had crashed and died either in the disaster or shortly afterwards. His body was never found.
Three of his books have been published in Hungarian: Amundsen’s The North West Passage, South Pole and Our Polar Flight.
The stamp features a portrait of Amundsen from the period and a detail of his famous ship, Fram (“Forward”). A photograph of Amundsen taken during the expedition to the North Pole appears on the commemorative first day cover. The design of the special postmark is a graphic composition inspired by a compass and inscriptions.
