This collector coin has been issued within the international coin program Hansa Cities, organised by the Mint of Finland, and is dedicated to Koknese, one of the eight Hanseatic cities of Latvia.
The region, home of the Lettgallians and Selians who were subjugated by the German crusading orders at the beginning of the 13th century, has fostered the town of Koknese and its castle, one of the three alternative residences of Riga archbishops of the 14th-16th centuries. As an important center of crafts and trade on the River Daugava, Koknese earned the town status in 1277, joined the Hanseatic League in the 14th century, and grew into a frequented holiday and tourist hub nestling down in the beautiful landscape of the Daugava and Perse rivers.