150th anniversary of the opening of the steam railway between Bratislava and Trnava
€10 silver collector coin
The idea of connecting Bratislava and Trnava by rail was considered in the light of Baron Salomon Mayer von Rothschild’s plan to link Bratislava to the main Vienna–Kraków railway. On 4 March 1836 Rothschild secured approval for construction of the main line, and on 7 March 1836 he applied for permission to build a branch line from Deutsch Wagram to Bratislava (then Pressburg) via Marchegg. The line to Trnava was to connect five royal towns: Bratislava, Svätý Jur, Pezinok, Modra, and Trnava. Permission to build and operate the line was granted on 6 March 1839, and it opened on 27 September 1840. The line ceased to be horse-drawn on 10 October 1872, when work began on converting it into a steam line. Operated by the Považská železnica railway company, the steam line was ceremonially opened on 1 May 1873 before the first journey of a steam train from Bratislava to Trnava. The train had 12 carriages and was pulled by a locomotive called Nagy Szombat. The steam locomotives running this line had three driving axles, pulled two-axle water and coal tenders, and had a top speed of 45 km/h.
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Description of the coin
Obverse:
The lower part depicts the historical railway station buildings in Bratislava and Trnava, each inscribed with the city’s name – ‘BRATISLAVA’ and ‘TRNAVA’ – with a section of railway arch viaduct separating the two. In the lower right of the design is the Slovak coat of arms, and to its left, at the bottom centre, is the year of issuance ‘2023’. The upper part features a schematic rendition of the Bratislava–Trnava railway line, including the names of five stations: ‘SVÄTÝ JUR’, ‘PEZINOK’, ‘ŠENKVICE’, ‘BÁHOŇ’ and ‘CÍFER’. Above these names are the coin’s denomination and currency ‘10 EURO’, and at the top centre of the design is the name of the issuing country ‘SLOVENSKO’.Reverse:
The reverse depicts a steam locomotive with tender, above which appear the coats of arms of Bratislava and Trnava. Inscribed along the upper edge are the names of the terminal stations ‘BRATISLAVA – TRNAVA’ and, following a medial dot, the year of the steam line’s launch ‘1873’. Below the locomotive is the inscription ‘PARNÁ PREVÁDZKA’ (steam operation), with the first word above the second. At the bottom of the design are the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint, consisting of the letters ‘MK’ placed between two dies, and the stylised initials ‘ZF’, referring to the coin’s designer Zbyněk Fojtů.
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Coin details
Designer: Zbyněk Fojtů Composition: .900 silver, .100 copper Weight: 18 g Diameter: 34 mm Edge: – ZAČIATOK PARNEJ PREVÁDZKY Z BRATISLAVY DO TRNAVY – 1873
(Start of steam operation between Bratislava and Trnava – 1873)Producer: Kremnica Mint Engraver: Dalibor Schmidt Issuing volume: 3,200 coins in brilliant uncirculated quality
6,950 coins in proof qualityIssuing date: 19 April 2023