On Tuesday, 19 August, Latvijas Banka issued a new 5 euro collector coin dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Baltic Way.

The graphic design of the coin is created by Visvaldis Asaris, and Ligita Franckeviča is the author of the plaster model. The coin has been struck in the Netherlands by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt. The images on the coin are a braid with ribbons in the colours of national flags of the three Baltic States woven in it and a tree trunk with exposed roots.

The coin is a dedication to the peaceful demonstration of 23 August 1989, unique on an international scale, when about 2 million people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined their hands to form a human chain, which for 15 minutes was spanning over 600 km through the capital cities of Tallinn, Vilnius and Riga.

This action drew the attention of the entire world, highlighting the historical injustice and demonstrating that the idea of freedom and independence is very much alive in the hearts and minds of the three nations. In the lexicon of non-violent struggle, the message of Awakening, Popular Front and Singing Revolution was supplemented by another striking entry – the Baltic Way. It was like an informal referendum that demonstrated to the occupation power, in an explicit manner, how united the Baltic nations were in their desire to regain freedom and renew independence.

The euro collector coin "Baltic Way" celebrates the 25 anniversary of the most glorious moment of the Baltic unity.

The coin is legal tender in the Republic of Latvia. Its mintage is limited to 10,000 coins.

Face value: 5 euro
Weight: 22.00 g; diameter: 35.00 mm
Metal: silver of .925 fineness; quality: proof; with colour print (7 colours) on the obverse
Struck in 2014 by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands)
Artists: Visvaldis Asaris (graphic design), Ligita Franckeviča (plaster model)

Obverse
The obverse is crossed by a braid with ribbons in the colours of national flags of the three Baltic Republics woven in it. The inscription "5 euro" is on the right. The lower left part of the obverse bears the semi-circled inscription BALTIJAS CEĻŠ 1989, with the year 2014 on the right.

Reverse
The reverse displays a vertical image of a tree trunk with exposed roots. There are two semi-circled inscriptions – ATMOSTAS BALTIJA (Awakening Baltics) on the left and LIETUVA LATVIJA EESTI (Lithuania Latvia Estonia) on the right.

Edge
The edge features two inscriptions LATVIJAS BANKA and LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA, separated by rhombic dots.

Source of information: Bank of Latvia www.bank.lv