O nouă monedă comemorativă din Belgia - 23.12.2023

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Last October the Royal Mint of Belgium issued a 10 euro silver coin dedicated to the Hanseatic Cities in Belgium, thus recognizing the country's important role in the legendary Hanseatic network.

The commercial network of the Hanseatic League covered more than 200 cities in Europe. Like the guilds, the purpose of the Hanses was to form an alliance between practitioners of a common economic activity: in this case, German merchants operating along the Baltic Sea and in the neighboring regions of northern Europe. In this way they could better defend their commercial interests, better resist greedy rulers, and adequately protect themselves against piracy and other disasters.

As a prosperous commercial city, Bruges had the rare honor of leading one of the four kontors (countries) of the Hanseatic League. This trade office also played the role of a kind of chamber of commerce and even had consular powers. However, the importance of Bruges as a priority center eventually diminished, and in 1520 the office was moved to Antwerp. Years later, in 1564, the imposing Hanseatic House was built there, but it quickly lost its function as a commercial center when the Scheldt city fell prey to Spanish fury.

As for the city of Artevelde, thanks to its flourishing textile industry, Ghent became one of the richest cities in Europe in the Middle Ages and, as a result, an important member of the German Hanseatic League. The city of Dinant also received the same honor thanks to its strategic location on the banks of the Meuse River and the prosperous trade route that linked Cologne with Paris.

The obverse of the coin shows an original composition of visual elements that give an idea of ​​what was transported and traded along the Hanseatic routes: leather and animal skins, hops, beer and wine, salt and spices, fish, cereals and beeswax. wood and wool... On the map of the Hanseatic region, a cogue sails on choppy waves, a 13th century coin issued in Bruges also appears in the composition, symbolizing trade and income, and the bell tower of Bruges to highlight the importance of the Belgian Hanseatic cities and the prosperity they brought.

While the reverse of the piece shows King Philip looking to the right, his monogram and the year 2023 in a decagon. The outer edge bears the trilingual name of the country, the mint mark, the face value “10 EURO”, the mint master's mark and the initials LL of designer Luc Luycx.

Coin characteristics

Country Belgium
Quality proof
Face value 10 euros
coin design Iris Bruijns (obverse) – Luc Luycx (reverse)
Diameter 33mm
Metal 925 silver
Weight 18.75g
Issuance volume 5,000

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