It’s THE stamp for all proud Swiss citizens and for all fans of our country and the Swiss Alps – the “Typically Swiss” special stamp pulls out all the stops. Mountains, nature and folklore – you can’t get a more clichéd picture of Switzerland than that. But there’s no point in doing things by halves: the stamp features the Matterhorn, a symbol of Switzerland and one of the best-known mountains in the world. Then there’s edelweiss, the most famous mountain flower of them all. And finally, the alphorn and the herdsman playing it.

Meanwhile, many people may not realize…

• …that the Matterhorn is a piece of African rock. It’s actually a remnant of a vast rocky mass pushed across the European continent during the formation of the Alps.
• …that edelweiss originates in the Himalayas and Siberia and did not reach Europe until the Ice Age. The highest point at which it has been found in this country is 3,140 metres above sea level, at a spot below the Matterhorn.
• …that the alphorn is classed as a brass instrument, is about 3.5 metres long, can play only 16 natural tones and can be heard up to 10 kilometres away.