1100) 30 Years of collapse of the Berlin Wall, Germany: A Commemorative Coin issued by the Istituto Poligrafico Zecca della Stato (IPZS), Italy: A 5 Euro Silver Proof with applied Colour Coins issued on 27.09.2019 (Available from 18.10.2019):
The Istituto Poligrafico Zecca della Stato (IPZS) has issued on 27.09.2019 Commemorative Silver Proof & colour Coins which mark a significant event of world-wide significance, which changed the course of international politics and signalled the collapse of communism in Europe.
2019 marks 30 years since then. On a cold night in Berlin, the much-hated Berlin Wall between East and West Germany came down with the help of brave Berliners cooperating together on both sides. The Berlin Wall, a despised symbol of the continuation of the Cold War that emerged after the fighting of World War II.
The Obverse of the 5 Euro Silver Proof Coin with Applied colour is shown against a mock-up of the actual Berlin Wall, when it came down, also featuring the Brandenburg Gate.
Although the West and the Soviet Union had fought together to defeat the Third Reich, a more permanent division of Germany was the result of an attempt of the Soviets to dominate much of Eastern Europe.
Germany had been occupied by the four victorious Allies, which meant that there were four different sectors of administration and zones administered by the United states, Great Britain, France and the USSR.
When three of these allies came together to form a new Federal Republic of Germany, the Soviet sector became a separate entity and nation of the Democratic Republic of Germany, with a communist-dominated government.
As a result, the former capital city of Berlin was also divided along the lines of the whole of Germany - with four different sectors.
When East Germany emerged as a separate state in 1948, Berlin and its three sectors administered by the Western Allies were essentially left behind what was called the "Iron Curtain".
With the establishment of the two Germanys, many East Berliners found had looked to escape communism and get to the Western side of Berlin or fly safely to West Germany. Increasingly prevented from doing so, many East Berliners found different ways to permanently cross the divide, until one morning, West Berliners woke up to find that they were systematically being walled in by East German authorities.
The entire sector of West Berlin had been walled in, streets suddenly ended, metro trains were abruptly stopped in their tracks and even municipal buildings along the divide were bricked up.
The Wall was wholly successful in achieving two objectives - a) it prevented East Berliners from escaping and b) stopped West Berliners from having further person-to-person contact with friends and family.
Along the Wall, watch-towers were also built, manned by East German soldiers, who were authorised to use deadly force to stop anyone attempting to cross over the wall. East German officials claimed that the Wall was erected primarily to protect the communist regime from the pernicious influences of Western capitalism and culture.
With Eastern Europe looking to break free of Soviet domination towards end 1988, communist authorities were fighting a losing battle to keep control of the people.
From Warsaw in Poland, to Budapest in Hungary, to Prague in Czechoslovakia, the people were gaining momentum to challenge communist authority. In the three Baltic States, which were still a part of the Soviet Union, a "Baltic Chain" comprising more than two million persons joined hands across the three countries in 08/1989 to demonstrate solidarityand strength, and also to demonstrate to the Kremlin that the time had come to make a new beginning across nations.
Between a change in administration in East Germany and a greater desire to topple the communists - all Berliners came together on a cold night in 11/1989 and began hacking away at the Wall, until a significant gap had been made and thousands of East Berliners did what was thought impossible to do a few weeks ago - they walked through the breached portion of the Wall into West Berlin.
From that day onwards, the hated symbol of imprisonment by the communists was no longer relevant. Within less than a year from this historic event, Germany reunified under one government - (the East German state having collapsed), with plans to relocate the Bundestag (Parliament) back to Berlin and be re-housed in its original building.
A segment of the original Berlin Wall separates Berlin's Pankow district in the East from the Reinckendorf district in the West. Discovered in 01/2018, the 80 metre stretch is one of the last remnants of the Wall built in 1961
Tail-piece: During the history of the Berlin Wall from 1961 to 1989, nearly 80 persons were killed while trying to cross from East to West Berlin.
The Commemorative Coin:
The Reverse of the 5 Euro Silver Proof Coin with applied colour depicts a colourful mural that hits the Berlin Wall in an explosion of colours and cement fragments breaking up to open up a breach in which the dove of peace appears.
In the centre is the denominational value of the coin in numerals "5 EURO". At centre right is the letter "R"(which is the Mint Mark of the Mint of Rome). The peripheral inscription reads - " 30 ANNIVERSARIO DELLA CADUTA DEL MURO DI BERLINO" (meaning "30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall").
The Obverse of the 5 Euro Silver Proof Coin with applied colour depicts the Berlin Wall with a colourful, stylised graphic mural. During the days of the Wall, many murals and colourful graffiti designs alleared on the Western side to brighten up the surroundings, lessen the harshness of the grey concrete of the wall and to express a political opinion.
The peripheral inscriptions are - "REPUBBLICA ITALIANA" (meaning "Republic of Italy").In the upper portion is the year of issue "2019". Towards the lower bottom is the name of the designer - "V.DE SETA".
The specifications of this Coin are:
Denomination: 5 Euros; Metal Composition: .925 Silver (Ag); Coin Quality: Proof with applied colour; Diameter/Size: 32.0 mm; Weight: 18.0 grams; Mintage: 6,000 pieces; Designer: Valerio De Seta; Edge: continuous coarse milled; Mint: Mint of Rome; Year: 2019.
Each coin is encapsulated and housed in a branded IPZS custom case, which is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
For some other interesting posts from Italy, please visit the following links:
Posts on the Eurostar Coin Programme on this Blog:
7) 500th Anniversary of the Birth of Tintoretto, Italy: "20 Euro Gold Coin": "Europa Coin Programme" ot the "Eurostar Coin Programme"depicted on Gold Coins issued by the Istituto Poligrafico Zecca della Stato (IPZS): Coin issue date: 18.06.2019
8) 30 Years of collapse of the Berlin Wall, Germany: A Commemorative Coin issued by Istituto Poligrafico Zecca della Stato (IPZS), Italy: A 5 Euro Silver Proof & Colour Coin issued on 27.09.2019
8) 30 Years of collapse of the Berlin Wall, Germany: A Commemorative Coin issued by Istituto Poligrafico Zecca della Stato (IPZS), Italy: A 5 Euro Silver Proof & Colour Coin issued on 27.09.2019
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