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CC 172 2014
Coincard
BU
Coincard
Latvia · European Capital of Culture Riga 2014
Mintage5,000
Issue price€7.30
Issue date12 Aug 2014
PackagingCoincard
Edge letteringDIEVS ★ SVĒTĪ ★ LATVIJU
Market price€109.00
Issue occasion
The coin commemorates Riga as European Capital of Culture 2014. The design shows Riga’s skyline and the historic city centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Above it is the inscription “EIROPAS KULTURAS GALVASPILSETA”; below it are “RIGA — 2014” and the abbreviation “LV”.
The design
The main motif of the coin depicts the skyline of Riga and the historic city centre, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Above this motif, the inscription “EIROPAS KULTURAS GALVASPILSETA” (European Capital of Culture) can be read. Below it is the name of the city and the year of issue “RIGA — 2014”, with the abbreviation of the issuing country “LV” beneath it.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
Background on the topic
The “European Capital of Culture” programme (“Kulturhauptstadt Europas”) goes back to an initiative by Greek Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri and was introduced in 1985. It is intended to make Europe’s cultural diversity visible while also highlighting shared European connections. Since 2009, two cities from different EU Member States have generally been selected each year. Riga shared the title in 2014 with the Swedish city of Umeå.
The cultural year included exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances, literature projects and events in public spaces. For the opening, residents formed a human chain through which books from the old building of the National Library of Latvia (Lettische Nationalbibliothek) were passed on to its new building. The new building on the banks of the Daugava, designed by Gunnar Birkerts, is known as the “Castle of Light” (“Schloss des Lichts”). The event established a connection between cultural heritage, civic participation and a new cultural institution.
Riga’s cityscape reflects its history as a trading centre on the Daugava. The city was founded in 1201 and belonged to the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages. Merchants and craftsmen shaped the centre with churches, guildhalls and warehouse buildings. In addition to medieval structures, Riga has numerous Art Nouveau buildings from around 1900. There are also wooden buildings that are characteristic of urban development outside the older centre. This combination of different building periods explains why architecture played an important role during the cultural year.
The coin issue also coincided with Latvia’s first year as a member of the euro area: the country introduced the euro on 1 January 2014. The occasion therefore combined a Latvian urban theme with a programme of the European Union. The choice of Riga referred both to the capital’s history and to Latvia’s cultural and political integration into Europe. It was also Latvia’s first 2-euro commemorative coin.
The cultural year included exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances, literature projects and events in public spaces. For the opening, residents formed a human chain through which books from the old building of the National Library of Latvia (Lettische Nationalbibliothek) were passed on to its new building. The new building on the banks of the Daugava, designed by Gunnar Birkerts, is known as the “Castle of Light” (“Schloss des Lichts”). The event established a connection between cultural heritage, civic participation and a new cultural institution.
Riga’s cityscape reflects its history as a trading centre on the Daugava. The city was founded in 1201 and belonged to the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages. Merchants and craftsmen shaped the centre with churches, guildhalls and warehouse buildings. In addition to medieval structures, Riga has numerous Art Nouveau buildings from around 1900. There are also wooden buildings that are characteristic of urban development outside the older centre. This combination of different building periods explains why architecture played an important role during the cultural year.
The coin issue also coincided with Latvia’s first year as a member of the euro area: the country introduced the euro on 1 January 2014. The occasion therefore combined a Latvian urban theme with a programme of the European Union. The choice of Riga referred both to the capital’s history and to Latvia’s cultural and political integration into Europe. It was also Latvia’s first 2-euro commemorative coin.