Obverse. Photo © Monetnik.ru
  • 2 Euro 2022, KM# 411, Germany, Federal Republic, German Federal States, Thuringia
  • 2 Euro 2022, KM# 411, Germany, Federal Republic, German Federal States, Thuringia
Description

The Federal Republic of Germany has 16 states (German: Bundesländer). Since 2006, Germany issues every year a Bundesländer coin for a specific state that has that’s year’s presidency of the Bundesrat.

Thuringia (German: Thüringen), officially the Free State of Thuringia, is located in central Germany. Erfurt is the state capital and largest city, while other major cities include Jena, Gera, and Weimar. Thuringia is surrounded by the states of Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony.

Most of Thuringia is within the watershed of the Saale, a left tributary of the Elbe, and has been known as "the green heart of Germany" (das grüne Herz Deutschlands) from the late 19th century due to the dense forest covering the land. Thuringia is home to the Rennsteig, Germany's most well-known hiking trail, and the winter resort of Oberhof, making it a well-known winter sports destination. Thuringia is also home to prominent German intellectuals and creative artists, including Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Friedrich Schiller.

Thuringia was established in 1920 as a state of the Weimar Republic from a merger of the Ernestine duchies, except for Saxe-Coburg, but can trace its origins to the Frankish Duchy of Thuringia established around 631 AD by King Dagobert I. After World War II, Thuringia came under the Soviet occupation zone in Allied-occupied Germany, and its borders altered to become contiguous. Thuringia became part of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, but was dissolved in 1952 during administrative reforms, and its territory divided into the districts of Erfurt, Suhl and Gera. Thuringia was re-established in 1990 following German reunification, with slightly different borders, and became one of the Federal Republic of Germany's new states.

Obverse

Depicts Wartburg Castle in Eisenach. Date on the top left and mintmark (A for Berlin, D for Munich, F for Stuttgart, G for Karlsruhe, J for Hamburg) on the top right. Engraver's initials on the right. State name and national identifying mark (D for Deutschland / Germany) below.

The Wartburg is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a precipice of 410 meters (1,350 ft) to the southwest of and overlooking the town of Eisenach. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the place where Martin Luther translated the New Testament of the Bible into German, the site of the Wartburg festival of 1817 and the supposed setting for the possibly legendary Sängerkrieg. It was an important inspiration for Ludwig II when he decided to build Neuschwanstein Castle. Wartburg is the most-visited tourist attraction in Thuringia after Weimar. Although the castle today still contains substantial original structures from the 12th through 15th centuries, much of the interior dates back only to the 19th century.

Engraver: Olaf Stoy

2022
A
OS
THÜRINGEN
D

Reverse

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.”

2 EURO
LL

Edge

UNITY AND JUSTICE AND FREEDOM in German, Germany's national motto and the beginning of Germany's national anthem, followed by the Federal Eagle

EINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT

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Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Bi-Metallic
Ring Cupronickel
Center Nickel Brass
Weight 8.5 g
Diameter 25.75 mm
Thickness 2.2 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mints
Bavarian Central Mint (D)
Berlin State Mint (A)
Hamburg Mint (J)
Karlsruhe State Mint (G)
Stuttgart State Mint (F)

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