Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 10 Euro 2003, KM# 112, Finland, Republic, 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg
  • 10 Euro 2003, KM# 112, Finland, Republic, 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg
Description

To commemorate the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg, a 10 euro Mannerheim and Saint Petersburg commemorative coin was struck in 2003.

Engraver: Aneli Irena Marita Sipiläinen

Obverse

Depicts a portrait of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, country name in Finnish and Swedish above, the initial (S) of the engraver on the left after the name.

Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867–1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. Mannerheim served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Regent of Finland (1918–1919), commander-in-chief of Finland's defence forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and the sixth president of Finland (1944–1946).

From 1887 to 1889, Mannerheim attended the Nicholas Cavalry School in St. Petersburg. In January 1891, he joined the Chevalier Guard Regiment in St Petersburg. Mannerheim made a career in the Imperial Russian Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant general. He also had a prominent place in the ceremonies for Tsar Nicholas II's coronation and later had several private meetings with the Russian Tsar. After the Bolshevik revolution, Finland declared its independence but was soon embroiled in civil war between the pro-Bolshevik "Reds" and the "Whites", who were the troops of the Senate of Finland. Mannerheim was appointed the military chief of the Whites. Twenty years later, when Finland was twice at war with the Soviet Union from November 1939 until September 1944, Mannerheim successfully led the defence of Finland as commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. In 1944, when the prospect of Germany's defeat in World War II became clear, Mannerheim was elected President of Finland and oversaw peace negotiations with the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. (Finland was never at war with the United States.) He resigned the presidency in 1946 and died in 1951.

SUOMI FINLAND
C.G.E. MANNERHEIM S

Reverse

Depicts the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

Saint Petersburg is the second-largest city in Russia. It is situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27 May 1703 on the site of a captured Swedish fortress, and was named after apostle Saint Peter. In Russia, Saint Petersburg is historically and culturally associated with the birth of the Russian Empire and Russia's entry into modern history as a European great power.

The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early 1920s it served as a prison for political criminals. It has been a museum since 1924.

ST.PETERSBURG 1703-2003
10
EURO
M
2003

Edge

10 Euro

300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg

KM# 112 Schön# 112
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 27.4 g
Diameter 38.6 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Mint of Finland

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