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CC 475 2022
2 euro coin
BU Main coin Bank issue
2 Euro BU
Lithuania · Suvalkija (Series: Lithuanian ethnographic regions)
Mintage495,000
Issue date20 Dec 2022
Edge letteringLAISVĖ ★ VIENYBĖ ★ GEROVĖ ★
Market price€3.50
Issue occasion
The coin is dedicated to the ethnographic region of Suvalkija. The design features its coat of arms with an aurochs, flanked by oak branches with acorns and a ribbon bearing the inscription “VIENYBĖ TEŽYDI” (“May unity flourish”). The oak branches refer to the region’s history, which dates back to pre-Christian times; the aurochs was once the predominant animal species there. The inscriptions read “LIETUVA” and “SUVALKIJA”.
The design
The coin design shows the coat of arms featuring an aurochs, adorned on both sides with silvery oak branches bearing acorns. The lower ends of the branches are connected by a silvery ribbon bearing the inscription “VIENYBĖ TEŽYDI” (May unity prosper). The oak branches symbolise the region’s rich history, which dates back to the pre-Christian periods of the Lithuanian state. The aurochs was once the predominant animal species in this region. The coin design is framed at the top by the inscription “LIETUVA” (Lithuania) and the year of issue “2022”, and at the bottom by the inscription “SUVALKIJA” and the mint mark of the Lithuanian mint. The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.
Background on the topic
Suvalkija lies in southwestern Lithuania, mainly south and west of the river Nemunas. As an ethnographic region, it has no independent political or administrative status; rather, its borders are based on common features in dialect, customs, historical development and traditional way of life. Marijampolė is regarded as its regional centre. In addition to Suvalkija, the name Sūduva is also commonly used. It recalls the Sudovians, a Baltic population group that lived in this area and neighbouring regions in the Middle Ages.
The region’s distinct identity is also connected with the partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of the 18th century. The area to the left of the Nemunas was subsequently Prussian for a time, then belonged to the Duchy of Warsaw and, from 1815, to the Russian-ruled Kingdom of Poland. As a result, its legal and social history differed from that of other Lithuanian territories in the Russian Empire. Serfdom was abolished here earlier than in the rest of Lithuania. A comparatively independent peasant society developed, from which numerous representatives of the Lithuanian national movement emerged in the 19th century.
They included Jonas Basanavičius, one of the initiators of the Lithuanian-language newspaper „Aušra“, and Vincas Kudirka, a writer, physician and author of „Tautiška giesmė“, the later Lithuanian national anthem. The phrase „Vienybė težydi“, used on the regional coat of arms, takes up the closing words of this anthem. It thus connects the regional depiction with the emergence of modern Lithuanian national consciousness.
The coin belongs to a Lithuanian series about the country’s ethnographic regions. Žemaitija, Aukštaitija and Dzūkija had previously been featured; Suvalkija followed as another part of the series. The selection shows that, alongside its state unity, Lithuania has several historically and culturally shaped regional identities. The coin therefore commemorates not a single anniversary, but a cultural division of the country that is still used today.
The region’s distinct identity is also connected with the partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at the end of the 18th century. The area to the left of the Nemunas was subsequently Prussian for a time, then belonged to the Duchy of Warsaw and, from 1815, to the Russian-ruled Kingdom of Poland. As a result, its legal and social history differed from that of other Lithuanian territories in the Russian Empire. Serfdom was abolished here earlier than in the rest of Lithuania. A comparatively independent peasant society developed, from which numerous representatives of the Lithuanian national movement emerged in the 19th century.
They included Jonas Basanavičius, one of the initiators of the Lithuanian-language newspaper „Aušra“, and Vincas Kudirka, a writer, physician and author of „Tautiška giesmė“, the later Lithuanian national anthem. The phrase „Vienybė težydi“, used on the regional coat of arms, takes up the closing words of this anthem. It thus connects the regional depiction with the emergence of modern Lithuanian national consciousness.
The coin belongs to a Lithuanian series about the country’s ethnographic regions. Žemaitija, Aukštaitija and Dzūkija had previously been featured; Suvalkija followed as another part of the series. The selection shows that, alongside its state unity, Lithuania has several historically and culturally shaped regional identities. The coin therefore commemorates not a single anniversary, but a cultural division of the country that is still used today.
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