A new addition to the commemorative coin series depicting the Hungarian national memorial sites

The Kossuth tér commemorative coins are legal tender in Hungary, although they have not been minted for circulation purposes. Their primary function is to commemorate Hungarian national values and to raise awareness of them.

The central motif on the front side of the commemorative coin shows one of the emblematic bronze lion statues guarding the entrance to Hungary’s Parliament building, and the national flag, one of the national symbols of Hungary, and the token of Hungarian nationality. On the obverse the following elements are featured: the inscription ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’, the value numeral ‘2000 forint’, the mint mark ‘BP.’ produced with special micro lettering to provide protection against counterfeiting, as well as the mint year ‘2017’, which are the items of all legal tender.

On the reverse side the perspectival representation of Kossuth Lajos square in Budapest is shown from the South with the buildings defining Hungary’s single high-priority national memorial site the “Országház és környéke” (Parliament Building and its neighbourhood). Kossuth tér is Hungary’s symbolic political centre: most state commemorative events and ceremonies, political public events attended by huge crowds take place here; the permanent building of the Hungarian national assembly expressing the statehood and independence of Hungary is also situated here. Based on the plans by Imre Steindl the Parliament Building was completed in 1904. Built in Neo-Gothic style it resembles the Houses of Parliament in England. Thanks to its impressive design this iconic building has come to define the image of Budapest.

The commemorative coin the lettering “KOSSUTH TÉR” in the upper legend, and the inscription “NEMZETI EMLÉKHELY” in the lower legend run around the representation of the square. As a common element on the coins of the series issued earlier the dual knotted emblem of national memorial sites also appears here. The Kossuth tér commemorative coin will be issued by the Bank as the 4th part of the series depicting the Hungarian national memorial sites. It follows the presentation of Somogyvár-Kupavár, Mohács and the New Public Cemetery in Rákoskeresztúr.

The commemorative coin was designed by applied artist Zoltán Tóth. His master mark is shown on the right side of the coin hidden in the representation of the square.

Similarly to all the other parts of the series, the collector coin is minted from an alloy of copper (90%) and nickel (10%). It weighs 18.4 grams and it is 37 mm in diameter and has a reeded edge. The mintage limit of the coins is 5,000 in a bronze coated finish.