Every year, Germany mints a 2 Euros commemorative coin dedicated to one of its federal states; this year is the time for Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen in German), in the northwest part of the country.
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| Location of Germany in Europe |
The Saint Michel's Church at Hildesheim was chosen to represent the state. The coin, designed by Erich Ott, was released on 7th February 2014. 30 million coins were made in the five different mints Germany has along the country:
.
.
CITY
|
LETTER
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QUANTITY (millions)
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Berlin
|
A
|
6
|
Munich
|
D
|
6,3
|
Stuttgart
|
F
|
7,2
|
Karlsruhe
|
G
|
4,2
|
Hamburg
|
J
|
6,3
|
The coin shows the southwest view of the St. Michael's Church at Hildesheim with the name of the state in German NIEDERSACHSEN and, below it, there is a D, the initial of the country's name (Deutschland in German).
On the upper part, the minting year (2014) is shown; on the left side we can find a small letter that identifies where the coin has been made (see table above).
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| This picture has been taken from the same spot as the model used in the coin |
Lower Saxony is in the northwest part of the country, on the border with the Netherlands. In the past, this territory was splited in many different kingdoms, principalities and counties; the most important ones, due to its size and influence, were the Duchy of Oldenburg and the Kingdom of Hanover. After the German Unification and the two World Wars, this land was given to the British, who created Lower Saxony. During the Cold War, it was part of the Occidental Germany.
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| Germany map during the 19th century, Lower Saxony remarked in green |
The state's capital is Hanover, but Oldenburg and Göttingen are also important cities. It must be pointed that the city-state of Bremen is completely surrounded by the Low Saxony state.
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| Left: St. James chuch in Göttingen; Right: Oldenburg castle; Below: Hanover city hall |
In Lower Saxony we can find some really beautiful buildings that could have also become the element shown in the coin, like the Palace of Bückeburg,
the place where the princes of Schaumburg-Lippe live, the Castle of Marienburg, built by the last king of Hanover, the Castle of Evenburg, close to Frisia, or the Palace of Braunschweig, completely rebuilt after the II World War.
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| Above: Palace of Bückeburg; Below: Palace of Braunschweig |
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| Above: Castle of Marienburg; Below: Castle of Evenburg |
Another beautiful place is the Baroque Garden of Herrenhäuser (in Hanover) and the real natural state heritage: the National Park of Harz, where some lynxes live, and the channel and the marshes in Cuxhaven.
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| The Garden of Herrenhäuser |
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| Above: National Park of Harz; Left: German lynx; Right: marshes in Cuxhaven |
However, the St. Michael's Church at Hildesheim was chosen to represent the state. This building was built at the beginning of the 11th Century under the Romanic style; this can be seen in the arches, columns and walls. The central nave has circled-shaped windows that let the light to come in and illuminate the ceiling, which is decorated with religious paintings. The lateral naves are built according to the Gothic style, with pointed arch windows. From the outside, four towers can be seen; they are actually buttress.
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| Different pictures from the inside of the church |
In November 1542, it became protestant, but the convent remained there until the final exclaustration in 1803. Nowadays, it is one of the 65 simultaneous churches in Germany.
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| Church's ceiling |
During the II World War many churches were destroyed; that is why it was decided to hide the wooded ceiling in a close mine and to protect with concrete some of the most valuable elements. Finally, the St. Michael's Church was bombed in 1945, but it was rebuilt between 1950 and 1957, respecting the original style. It was declared World Heritage in 1985 by the UNESCO.
© Text and coin pictures copyright belongs to Daniel Grimoir
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