EUROs

Greek 1 euro, 2003

In ancient Greece, owls were often seen as a symbol of good fortune. The idea of the 'wise old owl' may have come into being from the association of the Little Owl with the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athene.

The owl symbolises the goddess Athena and was used for the first time on the Greek 4 drachm or the tetradrachm in the 5th century BC. Athena was patron of the crafts, wisdom and battle. She became the patron goddess of the city of Athens, in a competition with Poseidon. A fascimile of the ancient Greek tetradrachm is shown on the Greek 1 Euro coin shown above.

Greek Tetradrachm showing owl

Greece 2 Euro

 

Europa on Zeus

Rembrandt's abduction of Europa by Zeus

Europa was a Levantine woman in Greek mythology, from whom the name of the continent Europe was ultimately taken. There were two competing myths relating how Europa came into the Greek world: in the more familiar one she was seduced by the god Zeus in the form of a bull and carried away to Crete on his back, but according to Herodotus she was kidnapped by Minoans, who likewise were said to have taken her to Crete. The mythical Europa cannot be separated from the mythology of the sacred bull, which had been worshipped in the Levant. The etymology of her name suggests that Europa represented a cow, at least at some symbolic level.

The painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn created an artwork tilted the Abduction of Europa, which represents the ancient Roman poet Ovids story about the god Jupiter seducing a princess called Europa. This Roman tale was known as The Abduction of Europa and also known as The Seduction of Europa, substituting the god Jupiter for Zeus. Edith Hamilton's Mythology says Zeus, the son of Cronus, overthrew his father to free his five siblings and rule the gods. He is the most powerful of all the gods. Yet he is not invincible. According to Ovid's The Metamorphosis Zeus's father Cronus calls his son aside and asks him 'Son, faithful worker of my commands, go, quickly in your usual way, fly down to where, in an eastern land, they observe your mother's star, among the Pleiads. There drive the group of royal cattle, that you will see some distance off, browsing the mountain grass, towards the sea shore!' Zeus immediately leaves and takes the shape of a bull, a bull that was snow white. His eyes were unthreatening. Europa dared to sit on the bull's back. The god slowly moved from offshore to the shoreline and gradually goes further out to sea. Europa became the first queen of Crete, and she gives birth to a hero, King Minos of Crete.

 

 Greece 2 Euro , Athens olympics 2004

This one is a commemorative 2 euro coin released when Athens hosted the Olympics in 2004. The figure is taken from Myron's Discobolus statue representing the olympic history from ancient greece.

Myron's Discobolus statue

 

1. The Discobolus statue olympic discus thrower was made by Myron, one of the best sculptors of ancient Greece who lived in Athens in the 5th century BC. The original Discobolus statue was never recovered, an exact copy of the statue however is placed at the entrance of the Panathinaikon Stadium in Athens, where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 AD. Considered by many to represent the perfect athletic form, Discobolos, this Grecian work of art is renowned for its contribution to the contrapositive form of sculpture. Myron's Discus Thrower is one of the most famous classic Greek statues from this period. Discobolus athlete engaged in the discus throw boastful vigorous and convincing movement in a perfect made form. His flexing muscles and concentrated expression create a strong impression.
   
   The name of each Olympiad was named after the competitor of the stadium race, which was the favourite of all the events. The first Olympiad was named Koroibos of Elias, as he was the winner of the stadium race in 776 BC.
   
   Olympia was, and still is, a beautiful place, and many temples and statues were built. These were all built in dedication to Zeus, the Father of all Gods. Olympia also became a centre for religion in the Mycenaean period.
   
   The temples that were built in Olympia were all for a reason, and were of importance. The temple of Zeus, had as its centrepiece, a gold and ivory statue of Zeus. Standing at about 12 meters in height, the statue was very impressive.
   
   The statue, sculptured by Phidias, was seen as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Also near to the temple of Zeus, was the wild olive tree from which the wreath crowns were made and presented to the winners of the events. Legend has it, this tree was planted by Herakles (Hercules).
   
   In the beginning, the games consisted of only one event, the running of the stadium, and lasted for just one day. However, towards the 5th century, the games were extended to five days, and more events were also added.
   
   From 729 BC the participants of the games had to compete in the nude in order to prevent any cheating, and also in the interest of safety. Originally, only Greeks born males, who had not committed murder or heresy, where allowed to take part in the games. However, later on, Romans were also permitted to take part. Women were forbidden to compete, and were even banned from entering the stadium to watch the games.

Euro: Greece cents

Greece 10 cent, 2002

Rigas Feraios (or Rhegas Pheraeos) or Rigas Velestinlis (or Rhegas Velestinles) (Greek: Ρήγας Βελεστινλής-Φεραίος, , born Antonios Kyriazis also known as Konstantinos or Constantine Rhigas 1757 – June 13, 1798) was a Greek writer and revolutionary, active in the Modern Greek Enlightenment, remembered as a Greek national hero, a victim of the Balkan uprising against the Ottoman Empire and a forerunner of the Greek War of Independence.

20 cent , 2002

The Greek 20 cent coin features count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (Greek: Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας Komis Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias: February 11, 1776 – October 9, 1831) was a Greek diplomat of the Russian Empire and later the first head of state of independent Greece.

In 1809 Kapodistrias entered the service of Alexander I of Russia. His first important mission, in November 1813, was as unofficial Russian ambassador to Switzerland, with the task of helping disentangle the country from the French dominance imposed by Napoleon. He secured Swiss unity, independence and neutrality.In the course of his assignment as Foreign Minister of Russia, Kapodistrias' ideas came to represent a progressive alternative to Metternich's aims of Austrian domination of European affairs.

Euro(commemorative): Belgium

2 Euro, Louis Braille

Louis Braille was from a small town called Coupvray, near Paris—he was born on January 4 in 1809. Louis became blind by accident, when he was 3 years old. Deep in his Dad's harness workshop, Louis tried to be like his Dad, but it went very wrong; he grabbed an awl, a sharp tool for making holes, and the tool slid and hurt his eye. The wound got infected, and the infection spread, and soon, Louis was blind in both eyes.

All of a sudden, Louis needed a new way to learn. He stayed at his old school for two more years, but he couldn't learn everything just by listening. Things were looking up when Louis got a scholarship to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, when he was 10. But even there, most of the teachers just talked at the students. The library had 14 huge books with raised letters that were very hard to read. Louis was impatient.

Then in 1821, a former soldier named Charles Barbier visited the school. Barbier shared his invention called "night writing," a code of 12 raised dots that let soldiers share top-secret information on the battlefield without even having to speak. Unfortunately, the code was too hard for the soldiers, but not for 12-year-old Louis!

Louis trimmed Barbier's 12 dots into 6, ironed out the system by the time he was 15, then published the first-ever braille book in 1829. But did he stop there? No way! In 1837, he added symbols for math and music. But since the public was skeptical, blind students had to study braille on their own. Even at the Royal Institution, where Louis taught after he graduated, braille wasn't taught until after his death. Braille began to spread worldwide in 1868, when a group of British men, now known as the Royal National Institute for the Blind, took up the cause.

Now practically every country in the world uses braille. Braille books have double-sided pages, which saves a lot of space. Braille signs help blind people get around in public spaces. And, most important, blind people can communicate independently, without needing print.

Louis proved that if you have the motivation, you can do incredible things.

P.S. The three dots to the left of the portrait stand for 'L' in Braille script, and the two dots on the right stand for 'B' in Braille. So combining them we get L.B. , the initials for Louis Braille.

2 Euro, EMU

On the completion of 10 years of the EMU or the European Monetary Union, commemorative 2 Euro coins were released in every country affiliated with the EMU showing the EMU symbol(person outline with Euro symbol), and the above coin was issued by Belgium government commemorating 10 years of the EMU.

Euro: Belgium

Belgium 1 euro, 1999

Belgium 2 Euro, 2004

His majesty King Albert II of Belgium

Albert II (born 6 June 1934) is the King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the uncle of the current reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg,

Euro: Portugal

Portugal 1 Euro, 2002

2 Euro, 2002

The Portuguese euro coins show seven castles and five coat of arms surrounding the royal seal of 1144.

Euro: France cents

France 1 cent, 2007

2 cent, 2007

5 cent, 2004

Marianne is a national emblem of France and represents Liberty and Reason. Marianne is displayed in many places in France and holds a place of honour in town halls and law courts. She symbolises the "Triumph of the Republic", a bronze sculpture overlooking the Place de la Nation in Paris. The origins of Marianne, depicted by artist Honoré Daumier, in 1848, as a mother nursing two children, Romulus and Remus, or by sculptor François Rude, during the July Monarchy, as an angry warrior voicing the Marseillaise on the Arc de Triomphe, are uncertain. In any case, she has become a symbol in France: considered as a personification of the Republic, she was often used on republican iconography — and heavily caricatured and reviled by those against the republic.

apart from the Euro cents, Marianne also features on postage stamps as well as the former franc currency in parallel with the rooster, which is also a national symbol of France.

10 cent, 1999

The higher denomination French cents show the waling Liberty, which is a prominent symbol of France and has also been a constant feature on the erstwhile Francs. Liberty is often mistaken with Marianne even though she is represented as a classical goddess. Modestly attired, and now wearing a crown of seven rays, Liberty still appears on the French Seal of State seated and holding a fasces in her right hand.

Euro: France

France 1 Euro, 2000

2 Euro, 2001

The French euro coins show a stylized tree drawn by artist Joaquim Jiminez, symbolizing life, continuity and growth. It is contained in a hexagon and is surrounded by the motto of the Republic "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" or "Liberty,equality, fraternity.

2 Euro, Treaty of Rome

The Treaty of Rome, officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, was an international agreement that led to the founding of the European Economic Community on 1 January 1958. It was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany.

In 1951, the Treaty of Paris was signed, creating the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The Treaty of Paris was an international treaty based on international law, designed to help reconstruct the economies of the European continent, prevent war in Europe and ensure a lasting peace.

The original idea was conceived by Jean Monnet, a senior French civil servant and it was announced by Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister, in a declaration on 9 May 1950. The aim was to pool Franco-German coal and steel production, as these two raw materials were the basis of the industry (including war industry) and power of the two countries. The proposed plan was that Franco-German coal and steel production would be placed under a common High Authority within the framework of an organisation that would be open for participation to other European countries. The underlying political objective of the European Coal and Steel Community was to strengthen Franco-German cooperation and banish the possibility of war.

France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands began negotiating the treaty. The Treaty establishing the ECSC was signed in Paris on 18 April 1951 and entered into force on 24 July 1952. The Treaty expired on 23 July 2002, after fifty years, as was foreseen.

Euro: Netherland cents

Netherlands 5 cent, 1999

10 cent, 1999

Featured on the Netherland Euro coins is queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University. In 1966, she married Claus Von Amsberg, with whom she had three children: Prince Willem-Alexander (born 1967), Prince Friso (born 1968), and Prince Constantijn (born 1969). When her mother Juliana abdicated on 30 April 1980, Beatrix succeeded her as Queen of the Netherlands.

Euro: Austria

1 Euro, 2008

Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. He is among the most enduringly popular of classical composers.

Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. At 17, he was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg, but grew restless and travelled in search of a better position, always composing abundantly. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of Mozart's death.

Mozart learned voraciously from others, and developed a brilliance and maturity of style that encompassed the light and graceful along with the dark and passionate. His influence on subsequent Western art music is profound. Beethoven wrote his own early compositions in the shadow of Mozart, and Joseph Haydn wrote that "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years."

2 Euro, 2002

Bertha Von Suttner

Baroness Bertha Felicie Sophie von Suttner (June 9, 1843-June 21, 1914), born Countess Kinsky in Prague. Raised by her mother under the aegis of a guardian who was a member of the Austrian court, she was the product of an aristocratic society whose militaristic traditions she accepted without question for the first half of her life and vigorously opposed for the last half.

In 1876, she had a brief stint as Alfred Nobel's secretary and also got married to Baron Arthur Gundaccar von Suttner, though her marriage was opposed by her family. In 1885, welcomed by the Baron's now relenting family, the Suttners returned to Austria where Bertha von Suttner wrote most of her books, including her many novels.In 1889 the core of her works shifted from purely literary to peace oriented and she strongly criticized armament.

In 1891 she helped form a Venetian peace group, initiated the Austrian Peace Society of which she was for a long time the president, attended her first international peace congress, and started the fund needed to establish the Bern Peace Bureau.

She was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1905 for her efforts.She contributed lectures, articles, and interviews to the International Club set up at the 1907 Hague Peace Conference to promote the movement's objectives among the Conference delegates and the general public; she spoke at the 1908 Peace Congress in London; and she repeated again and again that "Europe is one" and that uniting it was the only way to prevent the world catastrophe which seemed to be coming.

Her last major effort, made in 1912 when she was almost seventy, was a second lecture tour in the United States, the first having followed her attending the International Peace Congress of 1904 in Boston.

In accordance with her wishes, she was cremated at Gotha and her ashes left there in the columbarium. 

Euro: Austria cents

5 cent, 2008

The 5 cent coin shows some primroses, a flower which is found in the Austrian Alps. The Austrian government is trying to fulfill its duty towards the environment and this symbolizes the development of a community environment policy.

10 cent, 2008

St. Stephens cathedral, Vienna

The St. Stephen's Cathedral which is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP. Its current Romanesque and Gothic form seen today, situated at the heart of Vienna, Austria in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Rudolf IV and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first being a parish church consecrated in 1147. As the most important religious building in Austria's capital, the cathedral has borne witness to many important events in that nation's history and has, with its multi-colored tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols and it is also featured on the 10 cent coin of Austria.

20 cent, 2002

The 20 cent shows the Belvedere palace on the reverse.

Belvedere palace, Vienna

The Belvedere is a historical building complex in Vienna, Austria, consisting of two Baroque palaces the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Orangery, and the Palace Stables. The buildings are set in a Baroque park landscape in the 3rd district of the city, south-east of its centre. It houses the Belvedere museum. The grounds are set on a gentle gradient and include decorative tiered fountains and cascades, Baroque sculptures, and majestic wrought iron gates. The Baroque palace complex was built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy.

The Belvedere was built during a period of extensive constructions in Vienna, which at the time was both the imperial capital and home to the ruling dynasty. This period of prosperity followed on from the commander-in-chief Prince Eugene of Savoy's successful conclusion of a series of wars against the Ottoman Empire.

50 cent, 2007

The Secession building is an exhibition hall built in 1897 by Joseph Maria Olbrich as an architectural manifesto for the Vienna Secession, located in Vienna, Austria. Secession refers to the seceding of a group of rebel artists from the long-established fine art institution.

The building features the Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt, one of the most widely recognized artworks of Secession style . The building was financed by Karl Wittgenstein, the father of Ludwig Wittgenstein.

The motto of the Secessionist movement is written above the entrance of the pavilion: "To every age its art, to art its freedom" (German: Der Zeit ihre Kunst. Der Kunst ihre Freiheit).

Secession building, Vienna

Euro: Finland cents

Finland 5 cent, 2001 

Finland 10 cent, 1999 

Finland 20 cent, 2002 

Finland 50 cent, 2000 

It is noteworthy that the Finland 1 cent and 2 cent were discontinued from mintage a few years back, so they are now scarce and sell for a couple of euros in Finland itself. 

Finland coat of arms 

The coat of arms of Finland is a crowned lion on a red field, the right forepaw replaced with an armoured hand brandishing a sword, trampling on a saber with the hindpaws. The coat of arms was originally created around the year 1580.

When John III assumed the title of "Grand Duke of Finland and Karelia", soon shortened to Grand Duke of Finland in 1577 (or soon thereafter), the lion became closely associated with Finland through the grand-ducal coats of arms .

Euro: Finland

Finland 1 Euro 

Whooper swans in flight 

The Finland 1 euro coin shows two whooper swans in flight. The whooper swan is a large North Hemispheric swan which requires large areas of water to live in. Since they have high body weight and frail legs, they cannot walk or stand for long durations. The whooper swan spends much of its time swimming, straining the water for food, or eating plants that grow on the bottom. No wonder it is found in abundance in Finland, the land of 55,000 lakes, and it also happens to be the national bird of Finland. 

Finland 2 Euro 

Cloudberry 

The Finland 2 Euro coin shows the cloudberry on the reverse. Cloudberry is also called bakeapple, knotberry, averin and evron; and is a rhizomatous herb native to alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. 

Italy Euro

1 Euro, 2002

Are you thinking that you have seen this figure umpteen times, but do not know what it is? This is the famous sketch of Vitruvian man by the Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci. The drawing illustrates Da Vinci's representation of the ideal proportions of the human body, as it was postulated by the Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius in 1BC, and after whom this sketch is so named. Although Da Vinci could not give any scientific assertion as to why the ideal proportions of the human body should be as shown, but a number of artistes from generations following him have given their postulates regarding this sketch. In this sketch, the navel is taken as the centre of our body and a circle is drawn from there, with the radius extending from the navel to the tip of the feet. We also notice a square drawn with the length of its side from the feet to the head, and just enclosing the extended arms.

The Vitruvian man by Leonardo Da Vinci

Parnassus by Raphael

Dante is shown by the yellow arrow. The center figure is Apollo and the mural shows nine muses, nine poets from eras past and nine contemporary poets including Dante Alighieri.

2 Euro, 2002

The Italy 2 Euro coin shows the face of Dante Alighieri, as it was frescoed posthumously by the celebrated Italian painter Raphael in his painting titled 'Parnassus'. This fresco was painted as a mural or a painting on a wall to decorate the walls of the Apolistic palace in the Vatican. The painting shows the mythical mount Parnassus where Apollo resides. Apollo is surrounded by nine muses, nine poets of ages past and nine contemporary poets. Dante Alighieri is known for his work 'The Divine Comedy'. The movie Dante's inferno is based on the first part of the epic known as 'The Divine Comedy'. Inferno here refers to hell and Dante's Inferno allegorically tracks the journey of Dante through what is the medieval concept of hell.

Dante in 'Parnassus'

2 Euro, world food program

Posted By :Shubham Gupta