5 Euro

2025Collector

Metal
Silver .999
Weight
22 g
Diameter
35 mm
Shape
Round
Alignment
Medal 0°
Technique
Milled · Coloured

Details

Value: 5 Euro

Type: Collector

Subject: 500th anniversary of the first book published in Latvian

Notes

Books hold a special place in the development of modern nations. Their circulation within society fosters a culture of reading – a foundation upon which value systems and shared information spaces are built. The revolution sparked by Johannes Gutenberg's invention was followed by other pivotal turns related to the spread of book-reading practices into everyday life. The triumph of the Reformation in 16th-century Europe marked a shift in the evolution of many national languages. As they acquired a written form, these languages also gained a promise of development over the centuries to come. Yet the path towards national book culture was far from smooth. In the era of religious wars, Protestant publications were often subject to persecution and destruction. One such episode unfolded in 1525, when Lutheran handbooks in Latvian and Estonian – describing the order of worship in the Protestant tradition – were confiscated in the port of Lübeck. The fate of the first Latvian book reveals that bookmaking is deeply entwined with people's social life, a realm that includes war and the violent clash of ideologies. The confiscated books were burned in Lübeck and never reached Riga – their intended gateway to Latvian and Estonian readers in Livonia. Yet the earliest translations of Christian texts into Latvian were soon followed by others, ushering in a new era of Latvian culture – one that endures to this day, along with the living tradition of reading Latvian books

Diameter35 mm
Weight22 g
AlignmentMedal

MetalSilver .999

Obverse

The coin's obverse depicts, in color print and relief, the face of a reader, with hands holding a book in the foreground. The book cover bears the inscription "LATVIEŠU GRĀMATAI 500" ("LATVIAN BOOK – 500"). The year "2025" and the inscription "5 EURO" are featured on the left side

Legend

English

LaTvieŠU GrĀMATai 500

For Latvian book 500

2025 5 EURO

DesignerDesigner: Jānis Strupulis, Anete Melece-Olivadoti

Reverse

Reverse: sequence of scenes telling the story of the first book printed in Latvian, from its printing in a typography and loading into a barrel for transport, to the opening of the barrel and inspection of the shipment at a port, and finally the burning of the confiscated books. Year "1525" at the upper left; inscription "PIRMĀS LATVIEŠU GRĀMATAS STĀSTS" ("THE STORY OF THE FIRST LATVIAN BOOK") in a semi-circle along the right side

Legend

English

1525 PIRMĀS LATVIEŠU GRĀMATAS STĀSTS

1525 The story of the first Latvian book

DesignerDesigner: Jānis Strupulis, Anete Melece-Olivadoti

Edge

TypeType: Inscriptions "LATVIJAS BANKA" and "LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA", separated by rhombic dots

Legend

English

♦ LATVIJAS BANKA ♦ LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA

♦ Bank of Latvia ♦ Republic of Latvia

Issues

Year	Mintage	Type	Proof
		Proof

2025 Royal Dutch MintProof
Mintage
Proof price €79, no grade