220th anniversary of the start of Slovak emigration to Kovačica
€10 silver collector coin
The town and municipality of Kovačica is a significant centre of Slovak life in Serbia. It is a model of multi-ethnic co-existence (encompassing five different ethnicities) and a world-renowned centre of Slovak naïve art. In 1802, following the end of Ottoman rule in Serbia, migrants from Slovakia started to settle in the wasteland area of Kovačica, some 60 km north of Belgrade. The community’s Lutheran faith has been one of the important factors in preserving its Slovak consciousness up to the present day. The local Lutheran church’s tower, built to a design by the noted architect Milan Harminc, stands today as a symbol of Kovačica. It was already a symbol of Slovak identity back in 1907, when the church, under the pastorship of Ján Čaplovič, became a centre of a protest in defence of the right to use the Slovak language. This culminated in a well-known trial in Kovačica. Several significant figures of the Slovak diaspora were born and lived in Kovačica. Notable among them was Dr Janko Bulík, the founder and first chairman of the Yugoslav branch of the Slovak cultural organisation Matica slovenská and a key figure of the anti-fascist resistance in the period of the wartime Slovak state.
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Coin description
Obverse:
The obverse depicts a historical scene from Kovačiča. In the central and right part of the design, an older man is standing next to a horse (with head and neck visible) and holding it by a rein. To his left, in the background, are two women sitting in a wagon, and behind them is a well with a shadoof. Below the well are the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), consisting of the letters ‘MK’ placed between two dies, and the stylised letters ‘KL’, referring to the coin’s designer Karol Ličko. The coin’s denomination ‘10’ and currency ‘EURO’ appear in the lower right of the design, one above the other, and below them is the Slovak coat of arms. The name of the issuing country ‘SLOVENSKO’ and the year of issuance ‘2022’ are inscribed along most of the upper edge.Reverse:
The reverse design also depicts bygone Kovačica. In the foreground, on the left side, a woman in traditional dress is holding a tray with a pot and cups; in the background, on the right side, locals are threshing and bagging grain. The tower of the Lutheran church is centrally positioned in the far background. The inscription SLOVÁCI V KOVAČICI (‘Slovaks in Kovačica’) is inscribed along the upper-left edge of the design. The dates of the anniversary, ‘1802’ and ‘2022’, appear in the lower right, one above the other.
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Coin details
Designer: Karol Ličko Composition: .900 silver, .100 copper Weight: 18 g Diameter: 34 mm Edge: • NEMÔŽEME ZAVÁŽIŤ ČÍSELNE, ALE LEN SVOJOU DOBROU KVALITOU
(We cannot make a mark through our number, only through our high quality)Producer: Kremnica Mint Engraver: Dalibor Schmidt Issuing volume: 2,700 coins in brilliant uncirculated quality
6,750 coins in proof qualityIssuing date: 20 September 2022