“Since 1989, the Day of Hungarian Culture is celebrated on 22 January, the date on which, according to the manuscript, Ferenc Kölcsey finished writing Hymnus, Hungary’s national anthem, in 1823. Up until the 19th century, the Hungarians did not have a national anthem. Ferenc Kölcsey, who resided in Szatmárcseke from 1815, wrote his greatest poetic work, Hymnus, in January of 1823, when the court in Vienna was stepping up its attacks on Hungary’s constitutional order. The poem was first published in 1829 in Károly Kisfaludy’s magazine Aurora, without the subtitle “of the turbulent centuries of the Hungarian nation”, which was included in the manuscript, while in the first volume of Kölcsey’s works published in 1832 it appears with the author’s subtitle. In 1844, a contest was announced for setting the work to music, which was won by Ferenc Erkel, conductor at the National Theatre. His work debuted on 2 July 1844 in the National Theatre in Pest, with the composer himself conducting. It was first sung before a larger audience on 10 August 1844, at the launch of the Szécheny steamboat at the Óbuda Shipyard. At events in the 1840s either Hymnus or Szózat, or both were sung, while by the 1850s Hymnus became the popular piece that better expressed national sentiments. Hymnus was officially recognised as a national symbol by Paragraph 36 of Act XXXI of 1989, which overhauled the Constitution of 1949, and was included in the Constitution as Paragraph 75 of Chapter XIV. Article I of the Fundamental Law of Hungary which entered into effect on 1 January 2012 states: “The national anthem of Hungary is the poem Himnusz by Ferenc Kölcsey, set to the music of Ferenc Erkel.””

Front: The front of the bicentennial commemorative coin for Hymnus features a half profile portrait of Ferenc Kölcsey, emerging from the divided background. The portrait was inspired by Anton Einsle’s 1835 painting. The depiction is a subtle allusion to the isolation in which Hymnus was composed in Szatmárcseke. Kölcsey’s name appears in his clothing. The quill refers to Kölcsey writing the piece. The legend in the two lines beneath the portrait reads “Hymnus”, the first word from the title of the manuscript, and “1823”, denoting the year in which the anthem was written.To the right of the portrait is the vertical legend “MAGYARORSZÁG” (Hungary). The mint date “2023” and the mint mark “BP.” are found in two lines in the lower left third on the front, with “15000” and “FORINT” on the right.

Back: The back of the coin shows a panorama of Hungary. Referencing the sacral nature of the work, three rays emanate from the central triangle symbolizing the Holy Trinity. In a circular legend around the triangle is the legend “NYÚJTS FELÉJE VÉDŐ KART HA KÜZD ELLENSÉGGEL” (Extend over it your guarding arm; During strife with its enemies), with a dot at the end of the quote. Kölcsey’s mausoleum in Szatmárcseke is at the bottom middle of the panorama, surrounded by the iconic landscapes of Hungary. In clockwise order, these are: Tihany, Lake Balaton, Szigliget, Esztergom, the Danube Bend, Visegrád, Eger, Tokaj and Szatmárcseke. The designer mark of sculptor E. Tamás Soltra is integrated into the landscape of Tokaj.

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Uncirculated coins: The term "uncirculated coin" refers to the condition of a coin that indicates that it has never circulated in the regular money supply in the economy. In other words, the coin shows no signs of wear on any of its surfaces. Since most modern coins are mass-produced in large quantities, it is common that the coin may have small nicks and scrapes on its surface from the production process and transported in bags and bins. These minor imperfections are not from the coin circulating in commerce, and hence the coin is still considered an uncirculated coin.

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