The Polish issued a commemorative coin in honour of the Slovak minority
The National Bank of Poland issued a commemorative coin a few days ago that pays tribute to members of the Slovak minority in Poland. The minority was historically formed on the Upper Orava and Upper Spiš, which in 1920, as a result of changes in state borders, became part of the newly established Republic of Poland.
"Part of the inhabitants of these regions have maintained their Slovak sense of nationality until the present day. Another part of the members of this minority was formed at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in Warsaw. Several of its members took part in the resistance against Nazi Germany," said Juraj Marušiak, director of the Institute of Political Science SAS.
The reverse of the coin features the image of the sculpture “Man and the Universe” by Ludwik Korkoš (1928-1992) who came from the village of Czarna Góra in the Upper Spiš region. He studied in Prague at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design (1946-1951) and at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava from 1966-1968. From 1953 to 1981, he was a professor at the Secondary School of Arts and Crafts in Bratislava.
"Although Ludwik Korkoš lived his entire professional life in Slovakia, he drew motifs for his works from the folklore traditions of his native region. He was a fierce supporter of the Slovak community in Poland until the end of his life. The three stripes against the background represent the tricolour flag of Slovakia. The obverse shows the view of Mount Babia Góra as seen from the village of Jabłonka, which is one of the centres of the Slovak minority in Poland The obverse also bears silhouettes of people symbolising the Slovak minority community and, above all, the armband used by “Slovak” 535th platoon soldiers in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944,” added Juraj Marušiak.
The project was carried out in cooperation with the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Poland, the Institute of Political Science SAS and the Warsaw Rising Museum. Institute of Political Science SAS provided expert assistance in connection with the selection of motifs and the preparation of the scholarly text for the brochure. This represents the use of the research results on current and historical aspects of Slovak-Polish relations, as well as issues related to the minorities in Central Europe, which have been studied for a long time on the grounds of the institute. The coin is the first of its kind and reminds the general Polish public of the presence of the Slovak minority.
The National Bank of Poland put into circulation a silver collector coin with a face value of 10 złoty. It is made of 925 purity silver, has a diameter of 32.00 mm and weighs 14.14 g. Its mintage will be up to 10,000 pieces and be sold at all the Regional Branches of NBP and in the online shop.
https://nbp.pl/en/coins-and-banknotes/collector-coins/catalogue/
Edited by Monika Tináková
Photo: nbp.pl