Depicts the predominant image of the quintessential sauna in the foreground. The chimneys are seen with smoke and steam rising from them, indicating their use. The Mint of Finland’s logo (lion) on the right and FI as an abbreviation for country of issue on the left. Date below. The twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring.

With a population of just over five million inhabitants in Finland, there are more than three million saunas in the country, which include those built into homes or free-standing cabins dotted all over the country — usually positioned just adjacent to lakes, shorelines, ponds, and rivers. Over the years, and with an increasingly urbanised population, saunas are now very important inclusions in private apartments and recreation facilities at offices and corporate headquarters. There is even a sauna facility in the Finnish Parliament House, confirming that the sauna is indeed an important part of the Finnish national identity. Those who have the opportunity usually make time for a sauna at least once a week, with the traditional sauna day being on a Saturday, as days of the week have become busy with other activities.

Engraver: Erkki Vainio

A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the right side of the coin. The inscription 2 EURO is superimposed over the map of Europe, with the numeral “2” located in an open field representing the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

12 stars are located on the right side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments.

Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “O” in “EURO.”

The edge reads SUOMI FINLAND (the name of the country in Finnish and Swedish, its two official languages) and contains three lion heads