New commemorative coins marking the centenary of the founding of the University of Ljubljana enter circulation

11/21/2019 / Press release

A commemorative 2-euro coin and the new set of euro coins dated 2019 will enter circulation and be available for sale as of 25 November 2019. The event being marked by this latest commemorative coin is the centenary of the founding of the University of Ljubljana. The Bank of Slovenia can reveal that the new coins and coin sets will be available at the Bank of Slovenia counters on Štefanova in Ljubljana, and at selected branches of Deželna banka Slovenije.

In issuing the latest commemorative coin, the Bank of Slovenia is seeking to shine extra light on the centenary of the founding of the University of Ljubljana. The university opened on 3 December 1919, a few months after the promulgation of the university law by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The founding of the university made it easier for Slovenian students to get the chance to study, since the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy meant they could no longer study at Austrian universities, and established the foundation for the development of the sciences in Slovenia.

The theme, namely the founding of the University of Ljubljana, is depicted with the University of Ljubljana logo. The designers Daniela Vidmar Podboj and Tomaž Podboj replaced the image of the façade in the logo with an inscription stating 100 let Univerze v Ljubljani (100 Years of the University of Ljubljana).

In recent years the state has issued collector coins once a year in conjunction with the Bank of Slovenia, and they are dedicated to major political, historic, scientific, cultural, sports and humanitarian milestones. Last year saw coins honouring World Bee Day, while the previous year marked the 10th anniversary of Slovenia joining the euro.

A million commemorative coins have been produced, comprising:

989,250 ordinary quality coins,
2,000 proof coins packed separately in plastic capsules,
8,000 ordinary quality coins for collectors’ sets of 2019 euro coins,
750 proof coins for sets of 2019 euro coins.

The coins were produced by the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, which was selected in an international tender. The proof commemorative coins are available at a price of EUR 15, while the set of euro coins costs EUR 25 for the ordinary quality, and EUR 70 for the proof striking. The ordinary 2-euro commemorative coin is available at its face value of EUR 2. Commemorative coins of both ordinary and proof quality can of course be used as legal tender in all euro area countries at their face value.

Slovenia also issues collector coins in conjunction with the Bank of Slovenia; these are legal tender in Slovenia only. Coins were issued this year to mark the centenary of the incorporation of Prekmurje in the homeland.

Next year Slovenia will issue commemorative coins in conjunction with the Bank of Slovenia to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of Adam Bohorič, and collector coins to mark the 30th anniversary of the plebiscite on Slovenia’s independence.

For more information on purchasing, see the Bank of Slovenia website.