Sesselja Sigmundsdottir
Encyclopedia
Sesselja Sigmundsdóttir (born 5 July 1902 Hafnarfjörður
- died 8 November 1974 Reykjavík
) was a noted Icelandic
pioneer in the fields of pedagogy and the care for the mentally disabled and founder of the Sólheimar community.
After her training in education in Germany
and Switzerland
, where she was inspired by Rudolf Steiner
, Sesselja returned to Iceland with the plan of establishing a self-sustaining community based on the anthroposophist philosophy. Here she would offer shelter and education to disabled and neglected children. At the age of 28, she acquire some land in a remote valley with its own hot spring and with the help of her family and friends built a farmhouse and named it Sólheimar - home of the sun.
. The stamp has a portrait of Sesselja and a picture of Sólheimar (Value 45 00 Scott 965).(An image of the stamp)
Hafnarfjörður
Hafnarfjörður is a port town and municipality located on the south-west coast of Iceland, about 10 km south of Reykjavík....
- died 8 November 1974 Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
) was a noted Icelandic
Icelanders
Icelanders are a Scandinavian ethnic group and a nation, native to Iceland.On 17 June 1944, when an Icelandic republic was founded the Icelanders became independent from the Danish monarchy. The language spoken is Icelandic, a North Germanic language, and Lutheranism is the predominant religion...
pioneer in the fields of pedagogy and the care for the mentally disabled and founder of the Sólheimar community.
After her training in education in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where she was inspired by Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
, Sesselja returned to Iceland with the plan of establishing a self-sustaining community based on the anthroposophist philosophy. Here she would offer shelter and education to disabled and neglected children. At the age of 28, she acquire some land in a remote valley with its own hot spring and with the help of her family and friends built a farmhouse and named it Sólheimar - home of the sun.
The 2002 stamp
She has been recognised with a postage stamp issued in 2002 by ÍslandspósturÍslandspóstur
Íslandspóstur is the national postal service of Iceland. It dates back to the year 1776 when Christian VII, king of Denmark ordered a mail service to be established in the country. Two years later, regular postal sailings begun between Iceland and Denmark, one a year...
. The stamp has a portrait of Sesselja and a picture of Sólheimar (Value 45 00 Scott 965).(An image of the stamp)
Sources
- Michaelsdóttir, Jónína (1990) “Mér leggst eitthvað til:Sagan um Sesselju Sigmundsdóttur og Sólheima” Relief fund of Sólheimar