Slovakia Euro Coins
Slovak euro coins entered circulation on 1 January 2009 and they feature three different designs. The selection
process started in 2005, when an official public contest -in two rounds- for Slovak euro coin designs was held. The
deadline for the first round was 31 January 2005, after which the ten top designers chosen by the National Bank of
Slovakia (NBS) were invited to make plaster reliefs of their designs. In the second round, the NBS called a public
vote conducted from 12 November until 20 November 2005 on the ten designs that were picked from the over 200 submissions.
On 21 November 2005, the results were made public. More than 140,000 people participated in the vote; the most popular
design was the Coat of arms of Slovakia (33,068 votes), followed by the Krivan peak (24,589 votes) and the
Bratislava Castle (21,792 votes).
- The coins in a nominal value of 2 euro and 1 euro depict the "Double Cross in the middle of Three Hills"
designed by Ivan Rehak. It is the coat of arms element of the national emblem as one of the state symbols of
the Slovak Republic. It is situated on the circle surface and its background is created by a relief of rocks
which express stability and strength of the State
- The coins with a nominal value of 50, 20 and 10 euro cents depict the Bratislava Castle designed by Jan Cernaj
and Pavol Karoly. It is characteristic for its dominant position above Bratislava - the capital of the Slovak Republic.
It is a national monument and belongs to the best-known symbols of Bratislava and Slovakia as well. Within the
castle depicted on the coins, there is the coat of arms – one of the official state symbols of the Slovak Republic
- The coins in a nominal value of 5, 2 and 1 euro cents depict the artistic design of Krivan designed by Drahomir Zobek.
The Tatra mountain peak Krivan is connected with important historic events of the Slovak nation. As an object of
national outings of Sturovci played an important role in the fight for national consciousness. Krivan is perceived as
a symbol of High Tatras and also, in the broader sense, as a symbol of varied natural resources in Slovakia
After three years of reforms, on 1 April 2008, the NBS announced their plan for withdrawal, disposal and destruction of
the Slovak koruna notes and coins. On 7 May 2008, the European Commission approved the application and asked member states
to endorse the bid during the EU finance minister's meeting in July 2008. On 3 June 2008 European Union finance ministers
gave Slovakia the green light to join the euro zone in 2009 while urging the country to be ready to fight inflation with
tight fiscal policies. After the euro introduction on 1 January 2009, it would still be possible to pay cash with
the koruna banknotes and coins until 16 January 2009. However, change would only be given back in euros. From 17
January 2009 onward, however, it was only possible to pay in euros.
Slovakia's mint was tasked to produce some 500 million euro and cent coins. As a preparation for the change on 1 January
2009, starting from November 2008, these coins were distributed to businesses all over Slovakia. On 5 September 2008, the
NBS announced that as part of the preparations for euro adoption, Slovakia will transport from Austria over €7 billion
in banknotes and have €167 million minted in coins by the end of 2008 in order to pre-stock itself with the new
currency.
The Slovak €2 coin edge inscription
| Edge |
|---|
| "SLOVENSKA REPUBLIKA" with two stars and a linden leaf in the middle |
Mintmarks on Slovak euro coins
| Mintmark | Description |
|---|
 | Mincovňa Kremnica (Kremnican Mint, MK) logo |