Sesselja (Hreindís) Sigmundsdóttir (5 July 1902 - 8 November 1974) 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 ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, 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 2002 stamp

She has been recognised with a postage stamp issued in 2002 by

Íslandspóstur Íslandspóstur or simply Pósturinn is the national postal service of Iceland. It dates back to the year 1776 when Christian VII, king of Denmark (and at the time also Iceland) ordered a mail service to be established in the country. Two years ...

. The stamp has a portrait of Sesselja and a picture of Sólheimar (Value 45 00 Scott 965).jaysmith.com
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An image of the stamp

Sources

*Michaelsdóttir, Jónína (1990) “Mér leggst eitthvað til:Sagan um Sesselju Sigmundsdóttur og Sólheima” Relief fund of Sólheimar

References

1902 births 1974 deaths 20th-century Icelandic people People from Hafnarfjörður {{Iceland-bio-stub