| Description : Cologne Cathedral with its two 157 m high towers is
one of the largest cathedrals in Gothic style. Its construction began in 1248 and was only completed in 1880, after more
than 600 years. A national symbol for Germany, the (apparently) intact cathedral was seen as an emotional symbol of the
will to live in the middle of the heavily bombed city after the end of the Second World War. The coin shows the
cathedral on the banks of the Rhine, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, with a comet appearing above it
as a celestial symbol resembling the star of Bethhehem. The issue celebrates "XX GIORNATA MONDIALE DELLA GIOVENTÙ"
(20th World Youth Day) which is found in a circular arc around the central design. At the bottom of the coin, arranged in a
semicircle are the words "CITTÀ DEL VATICANO" (Vatican City), at the top is the letter "R" the mint mark of the
Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and below the date "2005" ‐ flanked on both sides
by six European stars. The logos "LONGO" of the designer Daniela Longo and "E.L.F. INC." (INC. = Incisore /
Engraver) of the engraver Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini can be found below left and right respectively. |
