Germany

Commemorative coin

2012

Bavaria " Neuschwanstein Castle "

(Part of the National series " Lander’-series I ")

Official Journal of the European Union

The commemorative ‘Bavaria’ was designed by Erich Ott and shows the most famous view of Neuschwanstein Castle. The design shows the view from the east as visitors see it during their ascent to the castle, with the gatehouse in the foreground and the medieval-style towers and turrets. The panoramic mountain situated behind the castle is well captured, as the site of the castle on a cliff overlooking the romantic Pöllatschlucht. The name ‘BAYERN’ links the depicted construction ‘Neuschwanstein Castle’ with the state. The mintmark of the respective mint (A, D, F, G or J) is located in the right central core area and the initials of the artist in the left central core area. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European Union flag. Between the stars, at the bottom, the year ‘2012’ and at the top the indication of the issuing country ‘D’.

Additional information

Neuschwanstein Castle was built between 1869 and 1892 by order of the Bavarian King Ludwig II as an idealized representation of a knight's castle from the Middle Ages. The king did not live to see its complete completion. Disputes over his debt, which increased with the escalating construction costs, led to the dismissal of the king by the Bavarian government in 1886. Ludwig II stayed in Neuschwanstein Castle at the time of his incapacitation and left it the day before his death in Lake Starnberg on 13 June 1886. The coin design shows the castle in front of the mountain silhouette of the Allgäu Alps with the 2059 m high Grosse Schlicke. In 2025, King Ludwig II's castles (Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee) were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Edge lettering

Designer