200th anniversary of the birth of Karol Kuzmány

200 Sk Commemorative Silver Coin

Karol Kuzmany (16. 11. 1806 – 14. 8. 1866) – writer, church dignitary, pedagogue and deputy chairman of “Matica Slovenska” (Slovak Cultural Society) was one of the central personalities of the national, literary and religious life in Slovakia in the 19th century. He served at the side of the “Sturovci” (the young generation around L. Stur, the great Slovak awakener) in the Slovak national movement. In 1849 he was a member of the delegation which submitted the document with the national and state-legal requirements of Slovaks to Emperor Franz Joseph I. He participated in the establishment of “Matica Slovenska” in 1863; became its first deputy chairman and played an important role in its activities. He was an organizer of literary activities and the publisher of “Hronka”, the literary magazine (1836 – 1838). He is the author of the theoretical work O krase (On beauty, 1836), the poetic composition Bela (1836), and the philosophical novel Ladislav (1838). He also devoted himself to spiritual poetry, religious work and translations of world literature. In 1859 his proposal for the organization of the Evangelical Church in Hungary was implemented through the Imperial Protestant Patent.

Description of the coin

Obverse:
On the obverse of the coin is a square with the name of the state “SLOVENSKA REPUBLIKA” in its upper part, and the state shield and date 2006 below it. The face value of 200 Sk is placed in the centre. In the lower part appears a stylized open book with a lime leaf in the middle. Below the square, the mintmark is placed to the left, the European star and euro symbol representing the programme “The joint issues of Europe” appears in the centre, and the initials of the designer Maria Poldaufova to the right.

Reverse:
The reverse of the coin bears a portrait of Karol Kuzmany in a square field. Below the portrait there is the name KAROL, the date of birth 1806, the date of death 1866, and the surname KUZMANY. Above the square is a facsimile of Kuzmány’s signature and the name of his ecclesiastical position “Superintendent”.

Prospectus (PDF file; 1 MB)