Janko Kráľ (24 April 1822 – 23 May 1876) was a Slovak poet and a leading figure of Slavic Romantic poetry. He wrote ballads and epics, extending the genre with his reflections on himself, the world and current events, as well as with affecting descriptions of nature. Born in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia, Kráľ studied at the Lutheran Lyceum in Pressburg (now Bratislava) and while there became one of the most radical poets of the ‘Ľudovít Štúr generation’. He welcomed and extolled the 1848 revolution, in which he acted as an agitator and was imprisoned for doing so. Subsequently, he worked as a civil servant, and although he would from time to time come out with a new work, and occasionally be published, he no longer engaged in political activity. Besides experiencing major revolutionary events of 1848 and 1849, he was present at two key events that took place in Turčiansky Svätý Martin in the early 1860s: the adoption of the Memorandum of the Slovak Nation by the Slovak National Assembly, and the founding general meeting of Matica Slovenská. In his poetry, Kráľ captured all these events from the perspective of his direct personal experience. His works, scattered as they were across various magazines of the period, would not be anthologised until after his death. Literary science ranks Janko Kráľ as one of the most important European Romantic poets.

Lícna strana:

The obverse depicts a character from a ballad by Janko Kráľ: the maiden in ZAKLIATA PANNAVO VÁHU A DIVNÝ JANKO (‘The Cursed Maiden in the Váh and Crazy Janko’). Her wild and wavy hair symbolises the Váh River. The ballad’s title is inscribed in the lower right part of the design. At the lower left edge are the stylised letters ‘BR’, referring to the coin’s designer Branislav Ronai, and the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), consisting of the letters ‘MK’ placed between two dies. Above the portrait, on the left side, are the Slovak coat of arms and the year of issuance ‘2022’. The coin’s denomination ‘10’ and currency ‘EURO’ appear at the top of the design, above the name of the issuing country ‘SLOVENSKO’.

Rubová strana:

The reverse shows an imagined portrait of Janko Kráľ. His forename and surname are inscribed in capital letters along the left edge of the design. The years of his birth and death ‘1822 – 1876’ appear along part of the right edge.