11.04.2012

Latvijas Pasts issues stamp series to celebrate 100^th anniversary of Riga Zoo; first-day ceremony will take place on April 14

To celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Riga Zoo, Latvijas Pasts has released a special series of stamps in three different denominations, with a total edition of 380,000 stamps. The first-day events and presentation of the stamps will take place on Saturday, April 14, in Riga Zoo. By finding five historical places in the zoo and marking them in a special map, the first 500 visitors will receive the special first-day cover dedicated to Riga Zoo as a prize.

The first-day cancellation event in Riga Zoo (1 Meža Prospekts, Riga) will take place on April 14 from 10 AM to 6 PM, while the presentation ceremony will be held at 11 AM. The stamps will be available for purchase for a lower price at the entrance of the zoo.

The stamps have been designed by the artist Ludis Danilāns, and the animals depicted in them have been significant symbols of the work and development of Riga Zoo over the past hundred years.

The stamp with a face value of LVL 0.35, intended for mailing a regular letter within Latvia, features a lion. Lions have always been the species that visitors definitely want to see, ever since modern zoos were first created at the end of the 18^th century. The Lion Pit was one of the first exhibits in Riga Zoo when it was founded in 1912. The current Lions' House was built in 1938, funded by Riga City. This animal is sometimes considered to be the symbol of Riga - golden lions holding a shield are also depicted in the current coat of arms of Riga, which was designed in 1925. Print run - 120,000 stamps.

The stamp with a face value of LVL 0.55, intended for mailing a regular letter within the European Union, depicts a kiang. The kiangs of Riga Zoo, which have been part of its collection since 1957, up until 1980 were the only members of their species in zoos outside China. Up to now, more than 100 kiang foals have been born in Riga Zoo. The zoo's group of kiangs now lives in the base Cīruļi outside the city. Edition - 140,000 stamps.

Finally, the stamp with a face value of LVL 0.60, intended for mailing a regular letter to any country outside the European Union, displays a tree frog. The European tree frog was included in the stamp series because of the project initiated in 1988 by the specialists of Riga Zoo for the restoration of this amphibian species in Latvia. The project was unique in Europe, and its outcome is a healthy natural population of the tree frogs in Kurzeme. Edition - 120,000 stamps.

The need to create a zoological garden in Riga was first discussed at the end of the 19^th century. The day of birth of Riga Zoo was October 14, 1912. At that time, 88 species of animals were displayed. The layout of the zoo was created by the famous landscape architectGeorg Kuphaldt, while the buildings were designed by the architectHermanis Zeiberlihs.

See the stamps dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of Riga Zoo.

The next new philatelic release is planned for April 25.

About SJSC Latvijas Pasts

Latvijas Pasts ensures the widest availability of postal services throughout Latvia by maintaining more than 600 post offices. The primary function of the company is provision of the universal postal service; Latvijas Pasts also provides commercial transport, express mail, payment, press subscription, retail and philatelic services. Latvijas Pasts is a fully state-owned company with more than 4,500 employees.

Additional information
Gundega Vārpa,
SJSC Latvijas Pasts
Head of the External Communications Department
Phone: + 371 67608505
E-mail:gundega.varpa@pasts.lv