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CC 518 2024
Blister pack
BU
Blister pack BU
Germany · Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – Königsstuhl (Series: Bundesländer II, 2nd issue)
Mintage19,000
Issue price€20.95
Issue date30 Jan 2024
PackagingBlister pack
Edge letteringEINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT + Federal Eagle
Market price€24.90
Varieties
1Germany, A · A · Mint mark A · BU · Blister pack · Mintage 19,000
Issue occasion
The second coin in the “Bundesländer II” series commemorates Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; the order in which the states are depicted follows the rotating presidency of the Bundesrat. The design shows the Königsstuhl chalk rock formation with its beech forests in Jasmund National Park on Rügen, viewed from the beach. The sea, a seagull and a person complete the design; the inscription “MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN” is also shown.
The design
The coin is dedicated to the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is the second coin in the German 2-euro commemorative coin series “Bundesländer II”. Each year, one of the 16 federal states is honoured with a coin depicting a significant building or landmark. The order of the federal states follows the rotating presidency of the Bundesrat, one of the five permanent constitutional organs of the Federal Republic of Germany, in which the interests of the federal states are represented. The coin’s design shows the famous chalk rock formation Königsstuhl with its beech forests in Nationalpark Jasmund on the island of Rügen. The cliffs are depicted from the beach, particularly impressively illustrating the grandeur of this unique natural monument. The depiction of the sea, bird and human together conveys a detailed, three-dimensional overall image. The modern typography, harmonizing with the seagull in flight, skilfully integrates into the coin’s relief. In the upper half of the inner part of the coin are the inscription “MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN”, the year of issue “2024”, the letter “D” for the issuing country Germany, and, at the top right, the letter “X” as a placeholder for the mark of the respective mint (“A”, “D”, “F”, “G” or “J”). The initials of the artist Michael Otto (from Rodenbach, Germany) are located in the lower half of the inner part of the coin.
The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.
The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.
Background on the topic
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was re-established in 1990 in the course of German reunification. The state combines the historic regions of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern and has a long Baltic Sea coastline with islands, Bodden waters and coastal landscapes. Rügen is the largest German island by area. Tourism, maritime transport, fishing and agriculture shape the state, whose population density is low by national standards.
The chalk coast of Jasmund dates back to deposits from the Late Cretaceous. Calcareous remains of the smallest marine organisms accumulated on the seabed at that time and solidified over long periods. Later tectonic movements and glacial processes shaped the present-day landscape. Wave action, precipitation and frost continuously erode the cliffs. This repeatedly causes collapses; the visible coastline is therefore not a permanently unchanging formation.
The Königsstuhl rises around 118 metres above the Baltic Sea. It is one of the best-known viewpoints on the German Baltic coast. Since 2023, the view has been accessed via a suspended circular walkway that replaced the older viewing platform. This is intended to reduce the impact on the sensitive ground at the edge of the chalk cliff.
The forests of Jasmund contain old beech stands that have been able to develop largely in a natural state on the calcareous soils and in the varied terrain. Since 2011, some of these stands have formed part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of Europe (alte und ursprüngliche Buchenwälder Europas). The World Heritage Site documents the spread of the European beech across large parts of Europe since the end of the last Ice Age.
Culturally, the chalk coast is closely associated with Romantic landscape painting. Caspar David Friedrich, who was born in the Vorpommern town of Greifswald, created the painting „Kreidefelsen auf Rügen“ in 1818. However, the exact location depicted cannot be unequivocally identified with the Königsstuhl. The formation is suitable as the subject of a coin because it simultaneously represents the Baltic coast, geological development and the natural environment of the federal state.
The chalk coast of Jasmund dates back to deposits from the Late Cretaceous. Calcareous remains of the smallest marine organisms accumulated on the seabed at that time and solidified over long periods. Later tectonic movements and glacial processes shaped the present-day landscape. Wave action, precipitation and frost continuously erode the cliffs. This repeatedly causes collapses; the visible coastline is therefore not a permanently unchanging formation.
The Königsstuhl rises around 118 metres above the Baltic Sea. It is one of the best-known viewpoints on the German Baltic coast. Since 2023, the view has been accessed via a suspended circular walkway that replaced the older viewing platform. This is intended to reduce the impact on the sensitive ground at the edge of the chalk cliff.
The forests of Jasmund contain old beech stands that have been able to develop largely in a natural state on the calcareous soils and in the varied terrain. Since 2011, some of these stands have formed part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of Europe (alte und ursprüngliche Buchenwälder Europas). The World Heritage Site documents the spread of the European beech across large parts of Europe since the end of the last Ice Age.
Culturally, the chalk coast is closely associated with Romantic landscape painting. Caspar David Friedrich, who was born in the Vorpommern town of Greifswald, created the painting „Kreidefelsen auf Rügen“ in 1818. However, the exact location depicted cannot be unequivocally identified with the Königsstuhl. The formation is suitable as the subject of a coin because it simultaneously represents the Baltic coast, geological development and the natural environment of the federal state.