PHOTOS: Minting of Croatian euro coins starts

(Photo: HNB)

ZAGREB, 18 July 2022 – The Croatian Mint officially marked the start of the production of euro coins with the Croatian national side today, the Croatian National Bank said in a statement. 

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, and the Governor of the Croatian National Bank, Boris Vujčić, in the company of Damir Bolta, President of the Board of the Croatian Mint, visited the facilities where euro coins are made and learned about the minting process.

(Photo: HNB)

After the Council of the European Union made a formal decision last week on Croatia’s entry into the euro zone on January 1, 2023, the production of Croatian euro coins is the beginning of a key activity for the implementation of the introduction of the euro and the replacement of cash.

(Photo: HNB)

The timely production and pre-delivery of the necessary quantities of Croatian euro coins to banks, so that they would later be able to indirectly pre-supply business entities such as shops and restaurants, is an important step in the process of replacing ready money, which will ensure that citizens pay for the new banknotes of the unit in coins without difficulty from the first on the day of the introduction of the euro, the Croatian National Bank said.

(Photo: HNB)

(Photo: HNB)

In order to achieve these goals, the Croatian National Bank will prepare approximately 3,700 tons of euro coins (the weight is approximately equal to the weight of 88 new Zagreb trams or 94 modern passenger planes used by Croatia Airlines) for the purpose of pre-supplying banks with euro coins, and the mint will, in an extremely short period of less than six months, have to produce a large part of that amount of euro coins.

(Photo: HNB)

“We are conducting the process of introducing the euro in a serious, structured and systematic manner, and I am using the opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to Croatia’s path to membership in the euro zone. We are continuing with activities that will ensure the timely exchange of cash throughout Croatia before and after joining the euro zone, and an integral part of this is the minting of euro and cent coins with the Croatian national side,” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, before adding.

(Photo: HNB)

“The Croatian Mint was founded in 1993 as the Croatian Monetary Institute and was one of the important pillars of building national identity. Today, almost 30 years since its foundation, the Croatian Mint will mint Croatian euro coins and thus, along with the promotion of Croatian symbols throughout Europe, participate in the historical process in which Croatia enters the club of the most developed member states of the European Union, to the benefit of our citizens and economy.”

(Photo: HNB)

“The introduction of the euro, with all its aspects, is also a large logistical undertaking, the successful implementation of which ensures the supply of euro cash and the smooth development of payment transactions in the country. Cash exchange is a very important event for every country and its monetary system, and I can say that it is one of the most logistically complex projects in Croatia at the moment. 

(Photo: HNB)

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the citizens and everyone involved in the selection of national motifs and their implementation on euro coins, as well as everyone participating in the current important logistics operation. Special thanks to the employees of the mint, to whom I wish the successful realization of all business goals on behalf of the management and professional services of the Croatian National Bank and on my own behalf.

(Photo: HNB)

May our Croatian euro coins sail happily and successfully through the European monetary sea; with which we will turn another symbol of Croatian involvement in the European project into a monetary reality,” Governor Vujčić said.

(Photo: HNB)

Coin design

The €1 coin has a motif of a kuna (marten) with a chessboard in the background on the Croatian national side. The €2 coin features a map of Croatia, and the words about freedom from Ivan Gundulić’s famous work Dubravka.  The 50, 20 and 10 cent coins have Nikola Tesla on the Croatian national side, whilst the two and one cent coins have an image of the Glagolitic script.

(Photo: HNB)