The Slovak National Uprising ranks among the most important events in Slovak history, as an integral part of European anti-Nazi resistance in the Second World War. Preparations for an armed revolt against the Slovak state’s Nazi-puppet government and the occupying German army were entrusted by the underground Slovak National Council and the London-based Czechoslovak government-in-exile to Lieutenant-Colonel Ján Golian. On 29 August 1944, at Golian’s command, the uprising was declared under the signal ‘Start the eviction!’. Around 60,000 soldiers and 12,000 partisans from 35 ethnicities and nationalities engaged in combat operations against the German army. In October 1944 General Rudolf Viest took command of the insurgents at a time when the German army was embarking on a general offensive. The forces under General Viest were ordered to switch to guerrilla warfare. The uprising marked the culmination of the anti-fascist resistance in Slovakia, bringing together both domestic and foreign resistance groups. Thanks to the declaration of the Slovak National Uprising, the restored post-war Czechoslovak Republic could embrace the democratic values of the free world.
Obverse:
The obverse depicts the building of the Slovak National Uprising Museum in Banská Bystrica. Below it is an outline map of the wartime Slovak Republic, showing the territory in which the uprising took place, a central point marking the location of Banská Bystrica (the heart of the uprising), and arrows indicating the direction from which German forces came to suppress the uprising. The Slovak coat of arms appears in the lower left of the design. Below the top edge, in descending order, are the year of issuance ‘2024’, the name of the issuing country ‘SLOVENSKO’, and the coin’s denomination and currency ’10 EURO’. To the right of the museum are the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), and the stylised initials ‘ZF’, referring to the coin’s designer Zbyněk Fojtů.
Reverse:
At the centre of the reverse design is the emblem of the insurgent air force, with an LT vz. 38 tank shown on the right side and an image of mortarmen in combat action appearing on the left side. Depicted at the bottom of design is an insurgent biplane fighter (Avia B.534.217) and, above it, part of an insurgent armoured train. The year of the Slovak National Uprising, ‘1944’, is inscribed at the top of design, above the uprising’s name in Slovak, ‘SLOVENSKÉ NÁRODNÉ POVSTANIE’, divided into three lines.
| Designer: | Zbyněk Fojtů |
| Composition: | .900 silver, .100 copper |
| Weight: | 18 g |
| Diameter: | 34 mm |
| Edge: | • JÁN GOLIAN • ZAČNITE S VYSŤAHOVANÍM! • 29. 8. 1944 (•Ján Golian•Start the eviction!•29.8.1944) |
| Producer: | Kremnica Mint |
| Engraver: | Dalibor Schmidt |
| Issuing volume: | 5,500 coins in brilliant uncirculated quality 12,300 coins in proof quality |
| Issuing date: | 8 August 2024 |
