Hungary 3000 Forint 2022

History

3000 Forint 2022, Adamo# EM469, Hungary, Hungarian Counties and County Seats, Bács-Kiskun Country - Kecskemét

Obverse. Photo © Magyar Nemzeti Bank

Description

The Magyar Nemzeti Bank issued a commemorative coin titled "Bács-Kiskun County, Kecskemét" on October 3, 2022, to mark the 125th anniversary of the inauguration of the Kecskemét Town Hall, celebrated as the "jewel of Art Nouveau." This coin is the first in a new series highlighting Hungarian counties and their county seats.

Bács-Kiskun, Hungary's largest and most ethnically diverse county, centers around Kecskemét, the eighth-largest city in Hungary by population and seventh-largest by area. Kecskemét has been a crucial economic, religious, and educational hub in the Danube-Tisza region for centuries, first mentioned as a market town in 1368. It became the administrative center of Hungary's largest county in 1950 and was designated a key automotive industry center in 2012. Archaeological finds include Bronze Age urns and Avar graves, and during the Ottoman era, the city enjoyed special privileges, paying taxes directly to the Pasha of Buda.

In 1834, communal lands were divided into individual homesteads, and millions of fruit trees were planted in the 19th century to reclaim sandy wastelands. The city's agricultural and industrial growth surged after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, leading to the construction of numerous Art Nouveau buildings. In 1911, a major earthquake caused extensive damage, valued at 8 million gold crowns. Since 1950, Kecskemét has remained the administrative center of Bács-Kiskun County.

Obverse	Person (actor, musician, painter etc.) Zoltán Kodály Person (writer, poet, philosopher etc.) Sándor Petőfi, Ferenc Móra Depicts the portraits of famous individuals from Bács-Kiskun county, including Sándor Petőfi, József Katona, Móra Ferenc, and Zoltán Kodály, each highlighted on a circular base with their respective signatures. In the center, there is a map-like representation of Bács-Kiskun county, with the county seat, Kecskemét, marked with a dot. Integrated into the depiction, in three lines below, the inscriptions "BÁCS-", "KISKUN", and "COUNTRY" are visible. At the bottom right edge, the engraver's privy mark is placed. Engraver: Fanni Vékony Petőfi Sándor Kodály Zoltán - BÁCS-KISKUN MEGYE - Katona József Móra Ferenc
Reverse	Construction (building, bridge etc.) City Hall, Fountain, Town square Depicts the building of the Kecskemét City Hall, along with a detail of the square in front of the building. Above the depiction of the building, in the center, the inscription "KECSKEMÉT" is visible. At the top edge, in a semicircle, the inscription "HUNGARY" is written, with a dot motif separating it from the denomination and the inscription "FORINT" (Forint). On the left side, in two lines, the year of issue "2022" and the mint mark "BP." are shown. On the right side edge, integrated into the depiction of the square in front of the building, the engraver's privy mark is placed. The City Hall of Kecskemét (Kecskeméti Városháza), located in Kossuth Square, Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary, was built between 1893 and 1897 in the Art Nouveau style by architects Ödön Lechner and Gyula Pártos. Replacing a deteriorating neoclassical building, the new design won a competition in 1890. The building served as the city library from 1897 to 1996. The façade blends early Renaissance structure with Hungarian folk art motifs, featuring ceramic wall coverings for durability. Inside, murals by Bertalan Székely depict historical scenes such as the blood oath of the seven Magyar chieftains and the coronation of Franz Joseph I. Other murals show significant figures like István Széchenyi and Lajos Kossuth. A mural by Lajos Pándy, completed in 1944, depicts Miklós Horthy's entry into Kecskemét and was restored in 2014 after being whitewashed post-1945. The building remains a significant cultural and historical landmark in Kecskemét. Engraver: Gábor Kereszthury MAGYARORSZÁG • 3000 FORINT KECSKEMÉT 2022 BP.
Edge	Inscribed (lettered) HUNGARIAN COUNTIES AND COUNTY SEATS MAGYARORSZÁG MEGYÉI, MEGYESZÉKHELYEI