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UNESCO World Heritage Speyer Cathedral decorates gold coin

December 12, 2018

A series of 100 euro gold coins has been issued since 2003 to honour the German UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For 2019, the Federal Government has chosen the Speyer Cathedral as its motif.

https://p.dw.com/p/39xUR
Deutschland Dom zu Speyer
Image: Klaus Landry

The new coin will be launched in October 2019. According to the Federal Ministry of Finance, the face of the coin shows the "characteristic mountain range of towers, domes and apse" of the cathedral. In the lower quarter, a groined vault is depicted. The design was developed by the Berlin artist Bodo Broschat. The coin - like the previous German 100-Euro gold coins - is to consist of fine gold and weigh 15.5 grams. 

The Speyer Imperial Cathedral is one of the most important examples of medieval architecture. The inauguration took place in 1061,  further on it was built until 1106. The cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. It is the largest preserved Romanesque church in the world.

Speyer Cathedral

Golden Series

The coin series began in 2002 with the first gold coin in euro currency. The central image shows the euro logo surrounded by stars and placed in a circle. In the surroundings, motifs of the euro banknotes in the form of bridges and other architectural elements are quoted pictorially. The inscription bears the sentence: "Transition to monetary union - introduction of the euro".

BdT Deutschland | Unesco-Welterbe Harz
100-euro gold coin 2008Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Hollemann

In the following years world cultural heritage sites in Germany were used as motifs:

UNESCO World Heritage City - Quedlinburg (2003)

UNESCO World Heritage City - Bamberg (2004)

UNESCO World Heritage - Classical Weimar (2006)

UNESCO World Heritage - Hanseatic City of Lübeck (2007)

UNESCO World Heritage - Old Town Goslar - Rammelsberg Mine (2008)

UNESCO World Heritage - Roman Monuments Cathedral and Church of Our Lady in Trier (2009)

UNESCO World Heritage - Würzburg Residence and Court Garden (2010)

UNESCO World Heritage - Wartburg (2011)

UNESCO World Heritage - Aachen Cathedral (2012)

UNESCO World Heritage - Garden Kingdom Dessau-Wörlitz (2013)

UNESCO World Heritage Lorsch Monastery (2014)

UNESCO World Heritage - Upper Middle Rhine Valley (2015)

UNESCO World Heritage - Old Town Regensburg with Stadtamhof ( 2016)

UNESCO World Heritage - Luther Memorials Eisleben and Wittenberg (2017)

UNESCO World Heritage - Castles Augustusburg and Falkenlust in Brühl (2018)

100 Euro Fußball-WM Münzen
100-euro gold coin 2005Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Special coin

The 100-euro gold coin from 2005 had as its motif the FIFA Football World Cup to be held in Germany in the following year (2006). In 2005, 350,000 copies of this gold coin were minted.

is/ks (with kna)