Description
In the papal bull issued by Pope Urban V, the pope granted authorisation to king Louis I of Hungary to establish an institution of higher education in Pécs on 1 September 1367. In the bishop’s seat the university started with 3 faculties (law, medicine, philosophy), and although it only existed for a limited amount of time, it signified a new era in the cultural history of Hungary: the beginning of higher education. The face side of the coin issued for the anniversary shows Bishop William’s coat-of-arms carved in stone, and displays a stylised part of the papal bull that authorised the foundation in the background. The bishop initiated the establishment of the University of Pécs in the Middle Ages.
Front: The compulsory design elements of coins are placed on the obverse: the inscription ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’ as the issuer, the value numerals ‘2,000 FORINT’, the mint year 2017, as well as the mint mark ‘BP.’, that also contains a safety feature in micro lettering visible only when magnified ten times, offering protection against the counterfeiting of the commemorative coins.
Back:The reverse side of the commemorative coins features the northern façade of one of the most characteristic buildings of the University of Pécs, that of the rector’s office built in neo-romanesque style – bordered by a vertical line – with a part of the papal bull that authorised the foundation of the medieval university. The latter is split in two by a stripe depicting an Angevin fleur-de-lis, which makes a reference to Louis I of Hungary, the king who founded the university. The upper circular legend reads “650 ÉVES A MAGYAR FELSŐOKTATÁS”, while “PÉCSI TUDOMÁNYEGYETEM” is inscribed in the lower circular legend, providing the reason for the issuance of the coins. On the left, the upper and the lower legends are separated by a motif depicting an Angevin fleur-de-lis, and by the mint master’s mark of Virág Szabó designer artist, on the right.
Keywords:education, university, Pecs, base metal, non-ferrous, collector coin, 2017
