United Nations

On 5 May 2011, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) in Vienna issued a commemorative stamp
in denomination of € 0.70 on the theme "World Heritage - Nordic Countries" This stamps shows the northernmost station of the Struve Geodetic Arc.

Hammerfest

First Day Cover cancelled in Vienna May 5, 2011

Read more about this issue :

http://unstamps.un.org/unpa/en/products/World_Heritage_-_Nordic_Countries/index.html

Norway

The measurement points of the Struve geodetic arc were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a joint site of ten countries in 2005.
The ten countries are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

In this blog you will see pictures of stamps issued related to Struve and to the Struve geodetic arc.
Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and UN in Vienna has issued stamps with Struve Geodetic Arc. Moldova has issued a Postal stationery. 

The northernmost point is located at Fuglenes near Hammerfest in Norway. The obelisk is called Meridianstøtten in Norwegian.

So far hasn't Posten Norge issued stamps related to Struve Geodetic Arc. But hopefully we will find new Struve stamps in the Stamp programme 2013

 Personalised Stamp issued by Hammerfest Post Office.

Picture taken in 2005.

Personalised Stamp showing the obelisk.

Personalised Stamp showing the obelisk on a letter sent from Hammerfest with a special postmark with geografic north coordinat for Hammerfest.

Old postcard from around 1880

Hammerfest town - 200 years in 1989

Fuglenes in Hammerfest (  70° 40′ 12.02″ N 23° 39′ 48.25" E )
Lille Raipas in Alta  (  69° 56′ 19.15″ N  23° 21′ 37.09" E )
Lodiken in Kautokeino (  69° 39′ 52.19″ N 23° 36′ 12.36" E )
Bealjasvarri in Kautokeino (  69° 01′ 42.93″ N 23° 18′ 18.89" E )

Sweden

On May 6, 2011 Swedish Post issued a souvenir sheet dedicated to the Struve Geodetic Arc.

First Day Cover

"Pajtas-vaara" (Tynnyrilaki) in Kiruna
"Kerrojupukka" (Jupukka) in Pajala
Pullinki in Övertorneå
"Perra-vaara" (Perävaara) in Haparanda

Finland

A maximum card showing the point Oravivuori





On May 6, 2011 Finish Post issued the souvenir sheet dedicated to the Struve Geodetic Arc.
It contains two stamps, one with the shape of Finland and the other a round stamp.

Souvenir sheet and the two stamps

First Day Cover from Finland

Stuorrahanoaivi in Enontekiö (68° 40' 57" N 22° 44' 45" E )
Aavasaksa in Ylitornio (66°23' 52" N 23° 43' 31" E )

Alatornio / Nedertorneå in Tornio (65° 49' 48" N 24° 09' 26" E )
Oravivuori in Korpilahti (61° 55' 36" N 25° 32' 01" E )
Porlammi / Porlom in Lapinjärvi (60° 42' 17" N 26° 00' 12" E )
Mustaviiri / Svartviran in Pyhtää (60° 16' 35" N 26° 36' 12" E )

Read more about the these six points in Finland:

http://www.maanmittauslaitos.fi/en/node/1555

Russia

The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory was opened in 1839. Originally, it was a brainchild of the German/Russian
astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve, who would become its first director

Stamp issued in Sovjetunion in 1964.

The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory on stamps issued in Sovjetunion.

The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory is the principal astronomical observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
located 19 km south of Saint Petersburg on Pulkovo Heights.

"Mäki-päälys" (Mäkipäällys (Finland 1917/1920-1940) in Hogland (Suursaari)
"Hogland, Z" (Gogland, Tochka Z) in Hogland (60°5'9.8 N 26°57'37.5" E )

Estonia

On May 6, 2011 Estonian Post issueed the souvenir sheet dedicated to the Struve Geodetic Arc.

First Day Cover

Letter with souvenir postmark April 15, 1993 - 200 years birthday

Struve was born at Altona 15.4 1793, in what is now Germany, the son of Jacob Struve (1755–1841), and was the second of an entire family of astronomers through five generations. He was the great-grandfather of Otto Struve and the father of Otto Wilhelm von Struve. He was also the grandfather of Hermann Struve, who was Otto Struve's uncle.

In 1808 he entered the University of Tartu in the Russian Empire, where he first studied philology, but soon turned his attention to astronomy. From 1813 to 1820 he taught at the university and observed at Dorpat Observatory in Tartu, and in 1820 became a full professor and director of the observatory.

Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve remained at Tartu, occupied with research on double stars and geodesy until 1839, when he founded and became director of the new Pulkovo Observatory near St Petersburg. Among other honors, he won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1826. He retired in 1861 due to failing health. He died 23.11.1864.

 ( copy from http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Friedrich_Georg_Wilhelm_von_Struve_-_Life/id/1408840 )

"Woibifer" (Võivere) in Väike-Maarja Parish (59°03'28 N 26°20'16" E )
"Katko" (Simuna) in Väike-Maarja Parish (59°02'54 N 26°24'51" E )
"Dorpat" (Tartu Observatory) in Tartu. (58°22'43.64 N 26°43'12.61" E )

Latvia

Minisheet issued in Latvia

"Sestu-Kalns" (Ziestu) in Erglu novads (56°50'24 N 25°38'12" E )
"Jacobstadt" in Jekabpils (56°30'05 N 25°51'24" E )

Lithuania

Stamp issued 24th October 2009 in Lithuania

Stamp issued 24th October 2009 in Lithuania

Stamps issued in Lithuania on First Day Cover

"Karischki" (Gireišiai) in Panemunelis (55°54'09 N 25°26'12" E )
"Meschkanzi" (Meškonys) in Nemencine (54°55'51 N 25°19'00" E )
"Beresnäki" (Paliepiukai) in Nemežis (54°38'04 N 25°25'45" E )

Postcard issued in Lithuania

Belarus

On September 20, 2007 Belarus Post issued a souvenir sheet dedicated to the Struve Geodetic Arc.

"Tupischki" (Tupishki) in Oshmyany district (54°17'30 N 26°2'43" E )
"Lopati" (Lopaty) in Zelva district (53°33'38 N 24°52'11" E )
"Ossownitza" (Ossovnitsa) in Ivanovo district (52°17'22 N 25°38'58" E 
"Tchekutsk" (Chekutsk) in Ivanovo district (52°12'28 N 25°33'23" E )
"Leskowitschi" (Leskovichi) in Ivanovo district (52°9'39 N 25°34'17" E )

First Day Cover

Read more about this issue:

http://www.belpost.by/eng/stamps/stamp-catalogue/2007/18-2007-09-18/

Moldova

Postal stationery issued in Moldova.

"Rudi" near Rudi village, Soroca district (48°19'08 N 27°52'36" E )

Map of Struve geodetic arc

The Struve Geodetic Arc

The Struve Geodetic Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through ten countries and over 2,820 km, which yielded the first accurate measurement of a meridian.

The chain was established and used by the German-born Russian scientist Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve in the years 1816 to 1855 to establish the exact size and shape of the earth. At that time, the chain passed merely through two countries: Union of Sweden-Norway and the Russian Empire. The Arc's first point is located in Tartu Observatory, where Struve conducted much of his research.

In 2005, the chain was inscribed on the World Heritage List as a memorable ensemble of the chain made up of 34 commemorative plaques or built obelisks out of the original 265, main station points which are marked by drilled holes in rocks, iron crosses, cairns, others.

Measurement of the triangulation chain comprises 258 main triangles and 265 geodetic vertices. The northernmost point is located near Hammerfest in Norway and the southernmost point near the Black Sea in Ukraine.

( From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )