Austria
Austria chose to produce a series of coins illustrating flowers, architecture and famous people from its history. The designs were chosen by a national panel and public opinion poll. Austrian artist Josef Kaiser created the designs.
€2
This coin bears a portrait of the pacifist Bertha von Suttner, a symbol of Austria's efforts over many decades to support peace. Edge lettering of the €2 coin: 2 EURO ***, repeated four times, alternately upright and inverted.
€1
Depicted on this coin is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the famous Austrian composer, in reference to Austria as a land of music.
50 cent
This coin shows the secession building in Vienna, illustrating the birth of art nouveau in Austria. The building symbolises the birth of a new age and represents a bridge to a new monetary era.
20 cent
This design features the Belvedere Palace, one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Austria. It was here that the treaty re-establishing the sovereignty of Austria was signed in 1955, making its name synonymous with freedom.
10 cent
St. Stephen's Cathedral, one of the jewels of Viennese Gothic architecture and a popular tourist venue, is depicted on this coin.
5 cent
This coin features alpine primroses, as part of a floral series, symbolising a duty to the environment and the part Austria is playing in the development of a Community environmental policy.
2 cent
This coin features an edelweiss, as part of a floral series, symbolising a duty to the environment and the part Austria is playing in the development of a Community environmental policy.
1 cent
This coin features a gentian, as part of a floral series, symbolising a duty to the environment and the part Austria is playing in the development of a Community environmental policy.