Germany

2023

Commemorative coin

The 1275th anniversary of the birth of Charlemagne (748–814), King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor

Official Journal of the European Union

The design combines two contemporary elements: Charlemagne’s personal monogram and the octagon of Aachen Cathedral. The two motifs are deftly merged into a distinctive work of art. The strength of the design lies in its dynamic, three-dimensional quality. Overall, it is an innovative tribute to an outstanding figure in European history. The coin’s inner ring also features the inscription ‘KARL DER GROßE’ (‘Charlemagne’) at the top and, in the bottom half, the year of issue ‘2023’, the dates ‘748–814’, Germany’s issuing country code ‘D’, the mint mark of the respective mint (‘A’, ‘D’, ‘F’, ‘G’ or ‘J’) and the artist’s initials (‘TW’). The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Additional information

Charlemagne (French and English: Charlemagne, 748-814) was the eldest son of Pippin the Younger. From 768 onwards he was king of the Frankish Empire, until 771 together with his brother Charlemagne. He was the first Western European ruler since antiquity to attain the imperial dignity: The imperial coronation by Pope Leo III took place on 25 December 800 in St Peter's Basilica (Old St Peter's) in Rome. Charlemagne was the most important ruler from the Carolingian dynasty; under him the Frankish Empire reached its greatest expansion and development of power. As the most important state in the West since the fall of Western Rome, it rose to become the new great power alongside Byzantium and the Abbasid Caliphate and encompassed the core of early medieval Latin Christendom. Aachen, the main residence of Charlemagne, remained the coronation site of the Roman-German kings until the 16th century. The coin designer ''Tobias Winnen'' shows Charlemagne's signum, according to a document issued in 790 (with his own execution line at the top within the rhombus of the monogram), in front of the stylised ground plan of Aachen Cathedral, built from 795 to 803 according to Byzantine models as the chapel of the Aachen Imperial Palace. Around the rhombus, the eight supporting pillars of the cloister vault of the dome are visible, which for centuries remained the widest and highest woodless room covering north of the Alps. The gallery surrounding the interior of the Palatine Chapel connects the octagon with the hexagon of the outer contour by means of eight triangular and eight quadrangular compartments. Charlemagne's bones were moved from his tomb in the Palatine Chapel to Charlemagne's shrine in the Gothic choir hall in 1215.

Edge lettering

Designer