3041) 30th Anniversary of departure of Soviet troops from Polish soil, Poland: 10 Zlotych Silver Proof Coins mark an important National Anniversary which reestablished Democracy in the country: Date/Year of Coin issue: 14.09.2023:
The Header/Banner showcases the Reverse ond Obverse of the 10 Zlotych Silver Proof Coin against a background representation of a monument celebrating the 30th Anniversary (1993-2023) of the withdrawal of Soviet (or Russian) troops from Poland on 17.09.1993.
The National Bank of Poland has issued Silver Proof coins which mark a very important National Anniversary which emphasises the re-establishment of democracy in 1991.
This year marks 30 years since the last former Soviet or Russian troops left Polish soil, ending a military presence lasting nearly 50 years.
As a consequence, to the end of the Second World War, the former Soviet Union deployed tens of thousands of Red Army troops of the so-called Northern Group of Forces.
Their units were deployed in over 70 localities, mostly in Western and Northern Poland, with the Northern Group Command headquartered in the city of Legnica.
Their presence altered Poland’s ability to preserve democracy and by the middle half of 1944, Poland’s Second Republic, founded in 1918, had been transformed into the People’s Republic of Poland, governed by communist rule led by factions allied to the Soviet Union.
Poland was now firmly part of the Eastern bloc in Europe and behind what was described as the “Iron Curtain”.
Prior to the 1956 general agreement between the Polish People’s Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the latter’s military presence in Poland had not been legally regulated.
After specific arrangements were agreed to that year, the number of Soviet military personnel was set between 62,000-66,000 troops, including 40,000 ground troops, 17,000 airmen, and 7,000 troops in the navy.
It is estimated that during the almost 50-year presence of Soviet troops, related traffic accidents, and accidental and/or intentional shootings claimed the lives of over 600 Polish citizens.
Protests aganst the Soviet/Russian occupation:
As protests eventually broke out in many cities across the country, they showed the ferocity and opposition many Poles felt about the still-occupying Soviet forces remaining in the country.
An organised protest took place in Krakow from the 16 to 18/05.1989, during which time thousands of young people chanted “Sowieci do Domu!” (Soviets go home!") on the Main Square.
Prior to the restoration of democracy in 1989, Poles caught writing or carrying a slogan such as the one unfurled in Krakow’s central square would have faced many years behind bars.
It was not until after the collapse of the Eastern-bloc communist alliance in 1989 and the ultimate end of the Soviet Union in 1991 that the first military units began leaving Poland beginning in April 1991.
Over a year later, a protocol regulating property, financial, and other matters related to the withdrawal of the Russian Federation troops from the territory of Poland was signed on the 22.05.1991.
Under this protocol, the Russian Federation had withdrawn all combat forces by 10/1992, with the last units leaving Poland on the 17.09.1993.
This date was specially chosen by the Polish government as it has particular importance to the Polish nation.
It was on that day in 1939 that Red Army troops invaded Poland from the east while soldiers from the Third Reich invaded Poland from their western border days earlier.
The Soviet/Russian withdrawal from Poland:
After the war, the number of Soviet troops in Poland ranged from 300,000 to 400,000 soldiers.
In the second half of the 1980s, it was reduced to the level of about 70,000 soldiers. Soviet troops had been stationed in Poland for 48 years. Their presence was one of the most noticeable manifestations of Poland's limited sovereignty before 1989.
The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Poland began on 08.04.1991, when the missile unit stationed there left the garrison in Borne Sulinowo.
The last combat unit to return to Russia, on 28.10.1992, was a brigade of missile boats from Świnoujście. Auxiliary units still remained on the territory of Polish, securing the transit of Soviet troops from Germany.
On 17.09.1993, on the Anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, the commander of the Northern Group of Troops reported to President Lech Wałęsa about the end of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Polish.
The next day, the last 24 officers, including five generals, left the Eastern Railway Station. A total of nearly 56,000 soldiers left Poland.
The entire process of transporting the remaining troops became a huge logistics operation involving the evacuation of over 1,500 tanks and combat vehicles, which were mostly carried out by rail, all having departed by the date agreed.
The Silver Commemorative Coins:
The Silver Proof Coins have been minted by the Mint of Poland at their facilities in Warsaw on behalf of the National Bank of Poland and have been designed by Grzegorz Pfeifer.
The Reverse of the 10 Zlotych Silver Proof Coin re-creates the slogan SOWIECI DO DOMU! (“Soviets go Home”) inspired by a photo of the 1989 demonstration in Krakow and an image of a hand that, in a symbolic way, orders the Soviet army to leave Poland.
Above the primary design is the commemorative date "17 IX 1993", along with the inscription encircling the design, which reads - "30. ROCZNICA WYCOFANIA WOJSK SOWIECKICH Z POLSKI" (“30th Anniversary of the Withdrawal of the Soviet Army from Poland”).
The Obverse of the 10 Zlotych Silver Proof Coin features Poland’s National Symbol, the crowned eagle, which is in the centre. On the upper periphery is the inscription - "RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA 2023" (Republic of Poland), and below on the lower periphery is the denomination "10 ZŁ".
The specifications of the 10 Zlotych Silver Coin are:
Country of issue: Republic of Poland; Coin Theme: "30th Anniversary of departure of Soviet troops from Polish soil,"; Coin issue Date/Year: 14.09.2023; Denomination: 10 Zlotych; Metal Composition: .925 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 14.1 grams; Diameter/Size: 32.0 mm; Mint: Mint of Poland at their facilities in Warsaw on behalf of the National Bank of Poland; Mintage: 12,000 pieces; Coin Quality: Proof; Presentation Case: Yes; Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes; Coin Designer: Grzegorz Pfeifer.
- Each Silver Proof Quality Coin is encapsulated and presented in a heavy-gauge lined card case, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
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