German commemorative 2 euro coins - Saarland from the "Bundesländer" series
Commemorative 2 euro coins from Germany
The fourth release in the annual German Federation series features the thirteenth largest of the 16 German states, Saarland.Description: The centre part of the coin depicts the Ludwigskirche in the state capital of Saarbrucken. The name of the state SAARLAND and the mint mark appear under the monument; the engraver's initials FB (Friedrich Brenner) are displayed on the right of the monument. The twelve stars of the European Union form a semicircle on the upper part of the outer ring, interrupted by the year of mintage '2009'at the top of the coin. The words "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" form a semicircle on the lower part of the outer ring.
Reverse: left from the coin centre face value: 2, on the right inscription: EURO; in the background of the inscription a map of Europe; in the background of the map vertically six parallel lines ending on both sides with five-pointed stars (the reverse is common for all euro coins)
Designer: Friedrich Brenner is credited with the design of the German 2009 €2 Euro Commemorative coin.
Issuing volume: 30 million coins
Date of issue: 6 February 2009
Face value: 2 euro
Diameter: 25.75 mm
Thickness: 2.2 mm
Weight: 8.5 gr
Composition: BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring Cupronickel (75% copper - 25% nickel clad on nickel core), center Nickel brass
€2 Edge Inscription: The German €2 coin edge inscription is "EINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT" (Unity and Justice and Freedom), followed by the German federal eagle.
Mint Marks:
A - Berlin National Mint ( Staatliche Münze Berlin ) in Berlin, Germany.
D - Bavarian Central Mint ( Bayerisches Hauptmünzamt ) in München, Germany.
F - Baden-Württemberg National Mint, Stuttgart Embossing ( Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg Prägestätte Stuttgart ) in Stuttgart, Germany.
G - Baden-Württemberg National Mint, Karlsruhe Embossing ( Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg Prägestätte Karlsruhe ) in Karslruhe, Germany.
J - Hamburg Mint ( Hamburgische Münze ), in Hamburg, Germany.
while B, C, E and H used to be mint locations that had been closed prior to the introduction of the Euro.
German Bundesländer series
Germany started the commemorative coin series Die 16 Bundesländer der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (The 16 States of the Federal Republic of Germany) in 2006, which will continue until 2021. Coins will be issued in the same sequence as the annual rotation of the presidency in the 'Bundesrat' (upper house of parliament), in which the 16 federal states are represented.The coins issued are: 2 euro 2006 Schleswig-Holstein, 2 euro 2007 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 2 euro 2008 Hamburg, 2 euro 2009 Saarland, 2 euro 2010 Bremen, 2 euro 2011 North Rhine-Westphalia, 2 euro 2012 Bavaria, 2 euro 2013 Baden-Württemberg, 2 euro 2014 Lower Saxony, 2 euro 2015 Hesse, 2 euro 2016 Saxony, 2 euro 2017 Rhineland-Palatinate, 2 euro 2018 Berlin, 2 euro 2019 Saxony-Anhalt, 2 euro 2020 Thuringia, 2 euro 2021 Brandenburg.
Ludwigskirche
Ludwigskirche in Old Saarbrücken, Germany, is a Protestant baroque style church. It is the symbol of the city and is considered to be one of the most important Protestant churches in Germany, along with the Dresden Frauenkirche and the St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg ("Michel").
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. Saarbrücken is Saarland's administrative, commercial and cultural centre. The city is situated next to the French border at the heart of a metropolitan area where most of the people of Saarland live.Saarbrücken was created in 1909 by the merger of three towns, Saarbrücken, St. Johann and Malstatt-Burbach and used to be the industrial and transport centre of the Saar coal basin. Products included iron and steel, sugar, beer, pottery, optical instruments, machinery, and construction materials.
Historic landmarks in the city include the stone bridge across the Saar (1546), the Gothic church of St Arnual, the 18th-century Saarbrücken Castle and the old part of the town, the St. Johanner Markt (Sankt Johann market).
Two times in the 20th century Saarbrücken was separated from Germany, in 1920–35 as capital of the Territory of the Saar Basin and in 1947–56 as capital of the Saar Protectorate.
Saarland
The Saarland is one of Germany's sixteen federal states (Bundesländer). With its capital at Saarbrücken, it has an area of 2,570 km² and (as of 30 April 2012) 1,012,000 inhabitants. In terms of both area and population size – apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg – it is Germany's smallest federal state. The wealth of its coal deposits and their large-scale industrial exploitation, coupled with its location on the border between France and Germany, have given the Saarland a unique history in modern times.Prior to its creation as the Territory of the Saar Basin by the League of Nations after World War I, the Saarland (or simply "the Saar", as is frequently referred to) did not exist as a unified entity. Until then, some parts of it had been Prussian while others belonged to Bavaria. The inhabitants voted to rejoin Germany in a plebiscite held in 1935.
From 1947 to 1956 the Saarland was a French-occupied territory (the "Saar Protectorate") separate from the rest of Germany. Between 1950 and 1956, Saarland was a member of the Council of Europe. In 1955, in another plebiscite, the inhabitants were offered independence, but voted instead for the territory to become a state of West Germany.