Slovakia · 550 years of Universitas Istropolitana

Issue date4 Jan 2017

Total mintage1,000,000

EU maximum1,000,000

Editions5

Edge letteringSLOVENSKÁ REPUBLIKA + ★ + Linden leaf + ★

Inscription1467 / 2017 / SLOVENSKO / UNIVERZITA / ISTROPOLITANA / MK / MP

DesignerMária Poldaufová

mintMincovna Kremnica, š.p., Kremnica / Slovakia

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 550th anniversary of the founding of Universitas Istropolitana in Bratislava in 1467. The design depicts a teacher and two students in front of the façade of the former university, as well as a medallion of its founder, King Matthias Corvinus. The design is complemented by the year “1467” and the inscriptions “UNIVERZITA” and “ISTROPOLITANA”.

The design

The coin’s design depicts a teacher and two students in front of the façade of the former Universitas Istropolitana in Bratislava. A medallion depicting the university’s founder, King Matthias Corvinus, is shown in the upper left. The number “1467” above the medallion represents the year the university was founded. In the lower part of the coin’s inner disc, the name of the issuing country, “SLOVENSKO”, appears above the year of issue “2017”. The inscription “UNIVERZITA” runs along the left edge of the inner disc, while “ISTROPOLITANA” runs along the right edge. In the lower-left part of the design, the “MK” mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica) can be seen between two minting dies. The stylised initials “MP” of the coin designer Mária Poldaufová appear below the mint mark.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Background on the topic

The Universitas Istropolitana was established in the Kingdom of Hungary during the spread of Renaissance humanism. Pope Paul II had already granted papal approval for the establishment of a university in 1465. The name “Istropolitana” is derived from the Greek designation for a city on the Danube: “Istros” referred to the Danube, while “polis” meant city. Bratislava was then called Pressburg, or Pozsony in Hungarian, and belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary.

Matthias Corvinus ruled Hungary from 1458 to 1490. His court was influenced by Italian humanism. He had manuscripts collected and created an extensive royal library with the Bibliotheca Corviniana. The new institution of higher education was intended to train scholars, clerics, physicians and administrative specialists. Its curriculum included the faculties customary at the time: theology, law, medicine and the liberal arts. Scholars appointed from abroad also taught there, including the mathematician and astronomer Regiomontanus and the Polish astronomer Marcin Bylica.

The institution existed for only a few decades. After the death of Matthias Corvinus, it lost its financial and political foundation; teaching came to a standstill towards the end of the 15th century. Nevertheless, it is regarded as the first university in the territory of present-day Slovakia. It should not be confused with the older university foundations in other parts of the Kingdom of Hungary at that time.

The building associated with the university is located on present-day Ventúrska Street in the Old Town of Bratislava. It dates back to medieval town houses that were used and converted for university operations. Today, the building belongs to the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (Hochschule für Musische Künste in Bratislava). The anniversary was chosen for the Slovak commemorative coin because the Universitas Istropolitana connects the history of higher education in the country with the European history of education and science during the Renaissance. The surviving building also makes this connection visible in the present-day cityscape.