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CC 548 2024
Coin set
Proof
Coin set proof
Slovenia · 250th anniversary of the National and University Library
Mintage750
Issue price€90.00
Issue date18 Dec 2024
PackagingCoin set
Edge letteringSLOVENIJA •
Market price€149.00
Issue occasion
The coin commemorates the 250th anniversary of the National and University Library (Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica). The design depicts the library’s slightly depressed door handle with the winged divine stallion Pegasus, which the architect Jože Plečnik symbolically portrayed as a guide through the world of knowledge. Above it, in a semicircle, is the inscription “NARODNA IN UNIVERZITETNA KNJIŽNICA”.
The design
The coin depicts a slightly depressed door handle of the National and University Library, topped by a structure featuring the winged divine stallion Pegasus. The architect Jože Plečnik symbolically presents Pegasus as a guide for library visitors through the world of knowledge. The door handle is the first point of contact with the institution, which invites us into the world of knowledge and inspiration. The inscription “NARODNA IN UNIVERZITETNA KNJIŽNICA” runs in a semicircle at the top. The issuing country “SLOVENIJA” and the year of issue “2024” appear at the bottom.
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 history of the library is traced back to 1774. Following the abolition of the Jesuit order, books from the former Jesuit college formed the foundation of a lyceum library in Ljubljana. Its establishment was connected with the educational reforms under Maria Theresia, through which teaching and scholarly collections were increasingly organized by the state. From 1791 onward, the library received legal deposit copies of printed works published in Krain. As a result, it gradually developed into a central repository for the country’s printed cultural heritage.
With the founding of the University of Ljubljana (Universität Ljubljana) in 1919, the library’s scholarly role also grew. It now increasingly served university research and teaching. After several institutional changes, it assumed its present status as the National and University Library of Slovenia (slowenische National- und Universitätsbibliothek) after the Second World War. Its tasks include collecting, cataloguing and preserving Slovenian publications, as well as providing scholarly literature.
The present-day library building in Ljubljana was constructed according to plans by Jože Plečnik and opened in 1941. Plečnik, born in 1872 and deceased in 1957, worked in Vienna, Prague and Ljubljana, among other places. His architecture combines classical forms, regional materials and a pronounced symbolic design. In the library building, the route leads from comparatively dark entrance areas via a monumental staircase into the bright reading room. This sequence is understood as an architectural image of the path from ignorance to knowledge.
Pegasus originates in Greek mythology and became associated in European culture with the Muses, poetry and creative inspiration. Its use on a library building thus connects with older ideas of education and intellectual stimulation.
The anniversary refers to the institution’s origins in 1774. The choice of the occasion therefore links the history of state educational and collection policy with the library’s present-day function as a memory institution and scholarly infrastructure of Slovenia.
With the founding of the University of Ljubljana (Universität Ljubljana) in 1919, the library’s scholarly role also grew. It now increasingly served university research and teaching. After several institutional changes, it assumed its present status as the National and University Library of Slovenia (slowenische National- und Universitätsbibliothek) after the Second World War. Its tasks include collecting, cataloguing and preserving Slovenian publications, as well as providing scholarly literature.
The present-day library building in Ljubljana was constructed according to plans by Jože Plečnik and opened in 1941. Plečnik, born in 1872 and deceased in 1957, worked in Vienna, Prague and Ljubljana, among other places. His architecture combines classical forms, regional materials and a pronounced symbolic design. In the library building, the route leads from comparatively dark entrance areas via a monumental staircase into the bright reading room. This sequence is understood as an architectural image of the path from ignorance to knowledge.
Pegasus originates in Greek mythology and became associated in European culture with the Muses, poetry and creative inspiration. Its use on a library building thus connects with older ideas of education and intellectual stimulation.
The anniversary refers to the institution’s origins in 1774. The choice of the occasion therefore links the history of state educational and collection policy with the library’s present-day function as a memory institution and scholarly infrastructure of Slovenia.
Interesting Facts
This coin set contains all eight circulation coins from 1 cent to 2 euros, this 2-€ commemorative coin and a 3-€ collector coin (face value: 8,88 €).