2 Euro Gedenkmünzen

2 Euro

C o m m e m o r a t i v e C o i n s

⇑ 2010 ⇑
2011
Image	Country		Date	Feature	Ref.	Volume
🔎		Slovakia	10 Jan. 2011	20th anniversary of Foundation of the Visegrád‐Group	20001 20002 20005	1,000,000	•
	Description : The coin commemorating the Visegrád Agreement of 15th February 1991 depicts the outlines of the four co‐signatories, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Circularly depicted are the words "VYŠEHRADSKÁ SKUPINA • VISEGRAD GROUP" (in Slovak and English: Visegrád Group) and "15.2.1991". At the top is the logo of the group, below it in a V‐shape on the left "2011", the year of issue. To the right the country of issue "SLOVENSKO" (Slovakia), below it the initials "MR" of the designer Miroslav Rónai and the mint mark "MK" between two embossing stamps of the Slovak mint Mincovňa Kremnica š.p. in Kremnica.

🔎		Netherlands	24 Jan. 2011	500th anniversary of the Publication of The Praise of Folly by Desiderius Erasmus	20001 20002 20005	4,000,000	•
	Description : The first Dutch national commemorative coin is dedicated to the work Praise of Folly by Erasmus of Rotterdam (∼1466‐1536), which was printed in 1511. The author of the work ‐ theologian, philosopher and philologist ‐ is portrayed writing his book, based on a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger created in 1523. On the left of the motif is the face of Queen Beatrix, (Dutch law stipulates that no national coin may be issued without the face of the Head of State ‐ exceptions have been made for European Community editions), to the right the text "Beatrix Koningin der Nederlanden" (Beatrix Queen of the Netherlands). The coin was designed by Dylan Shields. The date "2011" is in the centre together with the sails of the three‐mast clipper Nederland, the logo of mint master Maarten Brouwer and on the right the staff of Hermes the mint mark of the Royal Dutch mint Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt in Utrecht.

🔎		Germany	28 Jan. 2011	North Rhine‐Westphalia (Cologne Cathedral) 6th coin in the Federal States series	20001 20002 20005	30,925,000	•
	Description : The Cologne Cathedral with its two 157 m high towers is one of the largest cathedrals in the Gothic style. Its construction began in 1248 and was only completed in 1880, after more than 600 years. Even then a national symbol for Germany, the (apparently) intact cathedral was seen as an emotional symbol of the will to live after the end of the Second World War in the middle of the bombed‐out city. The coin depicts the cathedral, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, bears the federal state name "NORDRHEIN‐WESTFALEN" (North Rhine‐Westphalia) underneath it. The country abbreviation "D" (for Deutschland / Germany) is located in the upper right‐hand side of the ring, the year of issue "2011" flanks the 6 o'clock star on both sides. The German mint mark (A = Staatliche Münze Berlin in Berlin, D = Bayerisches Hauptmünzamt in Munich, F = Staatliche Münzen Baden‐Württemberg in Stuttgart, G = Staatliche Münzen Baden‐Württemberg in Karlsruhe or J = Landesbetrieb Hamburgische Münze in Hamburg) is located at the top right of the motif, and on the right the initials "HH" of the designer Heinz Hoyer.

🔎		Luxembourg	03 Feb. 2011	50th anniversary of the Appointment of Jean by his mother Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as lieutenant-représentant 8th coin of the Grand-Ducal Dynasty series	20001 20002 20005	729,500	•
	Description : On the 28th of April 1961, Grand Duchess Charlotte appointed Prince Jean as her Governor, whereby the Hereditary Grand Duke took over the official duties of Luxembourg's Head of State on behalf of his mother. The coin design, based on a design concept by the Banque Centrale du Luxembourg - BCL (Luxembourg Central Bank), features the portraits of the three successive rulers, Grand Duchess Charlotte, Grand Duke Jean and the current Grand Duke Henri, with their names "Charlotte", "Jean" and "Henri" below them. The motif is surrounded by ten concentric circles of writing, each of which reads in fourfold repetition: "Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg ‐ Grand‐Duché de Luxembourg ‐ Großherzogtum Luxemburg". At the top is the country name "LËTZEBUERG" (Luxembourg) and above it the year of issue "2011", flanked on the right by an Hermes staff the mint mark of the Dutch mint Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt in Utrecht and on the left by the sails of the three‐masted clipper Nederland the logo of mint master Maarten Brouwer.

🔎		Spain	21 Feb. 2011	Patio de los Leones of the Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada 2nd coin in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites series	20001 20002 20005	4,000,000	•
	Description : The palaces with their gardens, built by Nazarite sultans, are the heart of the Alhambra in Granada. They were the seat of government and the private rooms of the Moorish rulers. The Alhambra, together with the summer palace Palacio de Generalife and the Albaicín district, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. The Lion Courtyard, designed at the end of the 14th century in the style of a Persian Tschahār Bāgh, with its fountain supported by twelve lion sculptures, was chosen by designer Alfonso Morales Muñoz as the coin motif. At the bottom is the name "ESPAÑA" (Spain) and the year of issue "2011", and at the top is the letter "M" adorned with a crown, the mint mark of the Spanish mint Real Casa de la Moneda in Madrid.

🔎		Slovenia	21 Mar. 2011	100th birthday of Franc Rozman — Stane	20001 20002 20005	1,000,000	•
	Description : Franc Rozman (1911‐1944) fought as partisan commander during the Second World War for the liberation of Slovenia from German occupation. The five‐pointed star shown below symbolises the Slovenian Liberation Front, of which Rozman was a member. In three vertical lines at the top right read "FRANC ROZMAN STANE". Next to it (two horizontal lines) his life data "1911" and "1944" are mentioned, below that horizontally the country of issue "SLOVENIJA" (Slovenia) and vertically the year of issue "2011". The coin was designed by Edi Berk and minted without mintmarks at the Finnish mint Suomen Rahapaja OY in Vantaa.

🔎		Italy	22 Apr. 2011	150th anniversary of Italian unification	20001 20002 20005	10,000,000	•
	Description : The commemorative coin designed by Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini shows three flags of Italy, whose colour sequence green&dashwhite‐red (the green stands for la pianura, the plain, nature and landscape, the white for the colour of the Alpine glaciers, the red for the blood spilled in the Italian wars of independence) ‐ following the heraldic rules of tinging ‐ is represented by hatching. On the 17th of March 1861, the Kingdom of Italy became the first Italian nation state. Italy's King Victor Emmanuel II appointed Camillo Benso of Cavour as the first Prime Minister of the new state. The important role he played in the creation of the Italian state was recognised by Italy in 2010 with a commemorative 2‐euro coin dedicated to him. First Turin became the capital, then Florence in 1864 and Rome in 1871. At the top, the issue occasion "150° DELL' UNITA' D' ITALIA" (150 years of Italy's unity) is depicted in a semicircle, and below the flags the founding and issue year are mentioned with "1861 > 2011 > >". On the right the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic), below the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and the signet "ELF INC." (INC. = Incisore = engraver) of the designer.

🔎		Belgium	03 May 2011	1st Centenary of the International Women's Day	20001 20002 20005	5,013,500	•
	Description : The coin minted for the 100th International Women's Day shows the physician Isala van Diest (1842‐1916) on the left next to the staff of Asclepius entwined by a snake and the educator and jurist Marie Popelin (1846‐1913) on the right next to the scales of Justice as an attribute. Both had a decisive influence on the Belgian women's movement. Their portraits appear in front of a slightly slanted Venus symbol representing the female sex. The names "I.VAN DIEST" on the left and "M.POPELIN" on the right are written in a semicircle below, with the year of issue "2011" in between. The coin was designed by Luc Luycx. Next to the country abbreviation "BE" (Belgium) a feather is depicted at the top left the logo of the mint master Serge Lesens, on the right the helmeted head of the Archangel Michael the the mint mark of the Royal Belgian mint Monnaie Royale de Belgique / Koninklijke Munt van België / Königliche Belgische Münzprägeanstalt in Brussels.

🔎		Greece	30 May 2011	XIII. Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens 2011	20001 20002 20005	1,000,000	•
	Description : The Summer Games for people with intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities were held in Athens from the 25th of June to the 4th of July 2011. The coin design representing the emblem of the Games, a stylised human figure in a spiral ending in a laurel branch, is by Georgios Stamatopoulos. The emblem symbolises a radiant sun as the source of life and the power of the participating athlete expressed by the spiral shape, as well as his special achievement represented by the laurel branch. At the top right is in a quarter‐circle of two lines the occasion "XII SPECIAL OLYMPICS W.S.G." (W.S.G.= World Summer Games) and "ATHENS 2011" mentioned, below which is a palmette the mint mark of the Greek mint Νομισματοκοπειο / Nomismatokopeio (Bank of Greece ‐ Mint) in Halandri. Below is the name of the issuing country "ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ" (Hellenic Republic).

🔎		San Marino	04 Jun. 2011	500th birthday of Giorgio Vasari	20001 20002 20005	130,000	•
	Description : Giorgio Vasari (1511‐1574) was an architect, court painter to the Medici and biographer of Italian artists. He is considered one of the first art historians through his writings on the life and work of contemporary masters. Vasari introduced the concept of Gothic (he perceived medieval art as strange, barbaric, confused: Italian gotico), as well as that of the Renaissance (Italian rinascita). The coin design, based on his 1554 painting Judith Beheading Holofernes, is by Claudia Momoni. On the left is the name "G. VASARI", on the right the issuing country "SAN MARINO", and below the dates "1511" and "2011". The letter "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome can be seen on the top left, the designer's signet "C.M." on the right.

🔎		France	21 Jun. 2011	30th anniversary of Fête de la Musique	20001 20002 20005	10,014,404	•
	Description : Since 1982, French people have celebrated the annual Music Festival at the beginning of summer on the 21st of June, when amateur and professional musicians play in public streets and squares. The coin design by Fabienne Courtiade depicts revelers and musicians, a tenor saxophone and single notes. At the top right is the commemorative period "30e ANNIVERSAIRE" (30th Anniversary), in the centre the reason for the issue "Fête de la MUSIQUE 21 Juin" (Music Festival 21st of June) is depicted in three lines in irregular handwriting‐like characters, below it is the issue year "2011", flanked on the left by a cornucopia, the mint mark of the French mint Monnaie de Paris in Plessac, on the right of it by a pentagon the logo of mint master Yves Sampo. At the bottom is "RF" the country abbreviation for (République française, French Republic).

🔎		Monaco	02 Jul. 2011	Wedding of Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock	20001 20002 20005	147,877	•
	Description : On the 1st of July 2011, Prince Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock, a former South African swimmer, were married in a civil ceremony and one day later in church. Her new name is Charlène Grimaldi, Princess of Monaco. Robert Prat designed the coin. Below is the issuing country "MONACO" and the year of issue "2011", flanked on the left by a cornucopia as a symbol of the French mint Monnaie de Paris in Plessac and on the right by a pentagon as the mint master's mark Yves Sampos.

🔎		Portugal	15 Sep. 2011	500th birthday of Fernão Mendes Pinto	20001 20002 20005	520,000	•
	Description : The Portuguese explorer and writer Fernão Mendes Pinto (∼1511‐1583) travelled the coasts of the Indian Ocean and the Far East from 1537 to 1558. His travelogue (with criticism of Portuguese colonialism) was published posthumously under the title Peregrinação (Pilgrimage). The starting point and destinations of the journey are mentioned in the coin design by Isabel Carriço and Fernando Branco on the occasion of his 500th birthday under the image of a caravel in the form of wavy bands of writing: "PORTUGAL LISBOA MOÇAMBIQUE ORMUZ DIU GOA INDIA BIRMÂNIA MALACA SONDA PATANE SIÂO CAMBOJA LÉQUIO TANEGASHIMA JAPÂO CHINA NAKAU TARTÁRIA". The word "PEREGRINAÇÃO" (pilgrimage) appears twice in the written bands. At the top is the name "FERNÃO MENDES PINTO", on the left his year of birth "1511", on the right the year of issue "2011" and at the bottom "PORTUGAL". Next to the writing bands on the left is "INCM" the mint mark of the Portuguese mint Imprensa Nacional‐ Casa da Moeda S.A. in Lisbon, on the right the initials "IC‐FB" of the two designers are shown.

🔎		Finland	17 Oct. 2011	200th anniversary of the Bank of Finland Suomen Pankki	20001 20002 20005	1.600,000	•
	Description : The Finnish national bird, the Whooper Swan, also adorns a 100‐euro coin of 2011 after a design by Hannu Veijalainen in the same depiction on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Finnish Central Bank. Without naming the occasion of the issue, only the founding year of the Finnish Central Bank "1811" is depicted below the swan, while the year of issue "2011" is written on the left. The country abbreviation "FI" (Finland) and a lion (the heraldic animal of Finland) the mint mark of the Finnish mint Suomen Rahapaja OY in Vantaa are depicted below.

🔎		Malta	17 Oct. 2011	First election of representatives in 1849 1st coin of the Constitutional History series	20001 20002 20005	405,000	•
	Description : The first issue of the five‐part series of coins on constitutional history shows a hand throwing a ballot paper into a ballot box. In the First Peace of Paris in 1814, Malta was granted to the United Kingdom and thus became a British colony. The motif, designed by Ġanni Bonnici, depicts the 1849 election in which the first Maltese members of the Government Council were voted. This body advised the British Governor of Malta. The inscription "MALTA - First elected representatives 1849" (first elected representatives 1849) is depicted in a semicircle at the top right, and the year of issue "2011" at the bottom. The coin was struck without a mint mark by the Royal Dutch mint Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt in Utrecht.

🔎		Vatican City	18 Oct. 2011	26th World Youth Day in Madrid 2011	20001 20002 20005	115,000	•
	Description : After being in Cologne in 2005 and Sydney in 2008, the World Youth Day in Madrid took place from the 15th to the 21st of August 2011. In the motif at the centre of the coin three young people are depicted waving flags with the coats of arms of the Vatican City and Spain. Above this is the reason for issuing the coin, "XXVI G. M. G." (G. M. G. = Giornata mondiale della gioventù, World Youth Day), below this is "CITTÀ DEL VATICANO" (Vatican City) the issuing country. The year of issue, "2011", is on the left and below it the letter "R" which is the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. The logo "O.ROSSI" of the coin designer Orietta Rossi appears at the bottom and on the top right the initials "M.C.C. INC." (INC. = Incisore / Engraver) by the engraver Maria Carmela Colaneri.

⇓ 2012 ⇓

References :
20001	Images taken with authorisation by the ECB - Mail dated 20.Feb.2020 © "European Central Bank"	20002	Data mirrored from Wikipedia Page "2_euro_commemorative_coins" with friendly support of the guardians of that page.
20003	Not Applicable	20004	Coloured version of this Commemorative Coin in circulation EU-legal-technical specifications do not recongnise colour prints, but the EU is tolerate them, due to the facts that their numbers are very small and that they are sold in special packs and therefor are very unlikely to be used as currency.
20005	enlarged Images taken with authorisation by Gerd Seyffert © "Gerd Seyffert 2021"	20006	Not Applicable