Description
Kecskemét is the centre of Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary’s largest, most ethnically diverse county. The city ranks 8th in Hungary in terms of its population and 7th in terms of its administrative area. Around 22% of the population of Bács-Kiskun County live in Kecskemét. For centuries, Kecskemét was the most important town of the Danube-Tisza interfl uve, functioning as this region’s economic, ecclesiastic and academic centre. A document from 1368 mentions it as a market town. Of course, the location was inhabited long before this, with archaeological fi nds from various periods, including artefacts from the time of the Hungarian Conquest. From the 1870s, Kecskemét was an administrative centre, vested with substantial local powers. Along with the favourable natural conditions, the city’s development was also influenced by outstanding figures and important mayors. This period was marked by the acquisition of large estates, widespread planting of vineyards and fruit orchards, the development of farmsteads, the construction of railway lines, famous markets and strong exports. At the turn of the century, Kecskemét was known for its apricots and Art Nouveau architecture. Factories and industrial operations also began to develop alongside the city’s agricultural activities. In 1950, Kecskemét became the seat of Hungary’s largest county, Bács-Kiskun. It remains today the academic, cultural, administrative and industrial centre of this region and has also become a vehicle industrial centre of national significance since 2012.
Front: The front of the coin depicts one of the city’s most important buildings, the Downtown Candlemas Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary (also known as the “Dzsámi”). A figure from the Zsolnay fountain erected in honour of Vilmos Zsolnay, founder of the city’s famous porcelain factory, can be seen in the right foreground. The water springing from the fountain recalls the streams from the Mecsek mountains, which facilitated the city’s industrial development in the latter half of the 19th century. The coat-of-arms of the city of Pécs is delicately shown on the side of the fountain. The left side of the coin features the Holy Trinity statue erected in the wake of the plague in the 18th century, with the TV tower on the Misina peak in the background, which is Hungary’s tallest building with a height of 197 metres. The circular legend “MAGYARORSZÁG” is found at the top centre. The mint date “2024” and the mint mark “BP.” are on the left side of the front. Below the Zsolnay fountain to the left, the circular legend reads “3000 FORINT” with the legend “PÉCS” above it.
Back: The back of the coin depicts the Mecsek mountains in the background with the TV tower of Pécs in the distance. On the left there is a map-like image of the county, with the legend “BARANYA” and “VÁRMEGYE” (county) in two lines. One of Hungary’s protected plants is the peony subspecies “paeonia officinalis banatica”, which is only found in Baranya county. The image of the flower is located to the lower right on the back of the coin, next to the circular legend “BÁNÁTI BAZSARÓZSA”. The grape motif that is also found in the county’s coat-of-arms alludes to the wine regions of Pécs and Villány-Siklósi. The master mark of designer Gábor Kereszthury is found next to the image of the peony.
