The Bank of Lithuania has issued into circulation two coins dedicated to Vilnius, European Capital of Culture 2009. They are a silver 50 Litas commemorative coin and 1 Litas commemorative circulation coin from an alloy of copper and nickel.

The new coins have been introduced to the public at the Vilnius Town Hall.

“This is already the fifty eighth commemorative coin issued by the Bank of Lithuania. Apart from ten thousand minted 50 Litas denomination coins, one million 1 Litas commemorative circulation coins has also been produced. Sooner or later these coins will be in the possession of every Lithuanian inhabitant wishing to have them. I hope these coins will contribute to making Vilnius, European Capital of Culture of this year, famous ”, said Reinoldijus Sarkinas, Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania.

This is how Vytautas Narutis, designer of the coins, explained his creative conception: ”The coin bears a picture of a drawing Muse symbolising the antique literature - the beginning of the European culture, and of the easel imitating the contours of the Gediminas Castle - the symbol of Vilnius.”

The coin side with the Muse at the easel is encircled by the inscription in Lithuanian VILNIUS - EUROPOS KULTUROS SOSTINE 2009. The same inscription (without the year) in Latin VILNIUS- METROPOLIS CULTURAE EUROPENSIS is on the edge of the coin. 1 Litas coin edge is of the same design - rimmed at intervals. At the bottom of the silver coin there are initials of the designer. The coins have been struck by the Lithuanian Mint.

In the leaflet issued by the Bank of Lithuania, art critic Viktoras Liutkus draws attention to the uniqueness of the culture of Vilnius.

The coin presentation was attended by Vilius Navickas, Mayor of the Vilnius City, and Rolandas Kvietkauskas, Director of the public enterprise Vilnius - European Capital of Culture 2009.

The first European Capital of Culture became Athens (Greece) in 1985. At first that European Union project was called ”City of the European Culture”. Vilnius is the first capital among the capitals of the Baltic States that has been given such a prestigious status. City of Linz (Austria) also enjoys the same status this year.

All in all, thirty nine cities have already been entrusted such a mission. Apart from Vilnius, other European Capitals of Culture, such as Madrid (Spain, 1992), Helsinki (Finland, 2000), Genoa (Italy, 2004) Sibiu (Romania, 2007) were also immortalized in commemorative coins.

50 Litas silver coins can be obtained at the cash offices of the Bank of Lithuania in Vilnius (151 Zirmûnø Str.), in Kaunas (25 Maironio Str.) and in Klaipeda (16 Naujoji Uosto Str.). The price of the coin in a display box is LTL 150, without a box - LTL 130 (buying larger quantities, discounts shall be applied). The commemorative coin is traded (exchanged) at its nominal value, i.e., 1 litas.

Bank of Lithuania. http://www.lb.lt