Gold Coin 5000 CZK Bečov nad Teplou Castle 2020 Proof

1/2 Oz Gold Coin - Bečov nad Teplou Castle

The reverse side of the coin depicts the entire Bečov nad Teplou Castle complex, including the Baroque castle with its garden. The text "HRAD BEČOV NAD TEPLOU" appears at the bottom edge of the coin. The year of mintage "2020" is placed at the left edge of the coin. The initials of the author of the coin, Luboš Charvát, which are formed by the interconnected letters 'L' and 'Ch', are located at the right edge of the coin.

On the obverse side of the coin, partial motifs from the reliquary of St. Maurus are depicted in the centre. At the top of the coin is a composition of heraldic animals from the great state emblem. The name of the cycle 'HRADY' is located at the left edge of the coin and the text 'CZECH REPUBLIC' at the bottom right edge. To the right of the motifs from the reliquary of St. Maurus is the denomination of the coin with the abbreviation of the monetary unit "5 000 CZK". Below the abbreviation of the monetary unit 'CZK' is the mark of the Czech Mint, which consists of the letters 'Č' and 'M'.

Bečov nad Teplou (German: Petschau) is located south of Karlovy Vary. The castle stands above a deep valley surrounded by high forested hills belonging to the Slavkov Forest and the Tepel Upland. The castle is surrounded on two sides by the Teplá River and on the third side by the Dolský formerly Hluboký Brook. The town of Bečov nad Teplou is located in the valley.

Bečov Castle was built above the settlement of Bečov at the beginning of the 14th century. It protected an important crossroads of provincial roads and perhaps originally served as a customs post. The Lords of Osek established a number of colonization centres in this area as early as the 12th century. Bečov Castle was the centre of the estate, which included the largest part of the Slavkov Forest, where silver, tin and other metals were mined.

The medieval castle is situated on a promontory rising from the southeast to the northwest. While the slope drops sharply in the southwest, the terrain descends very gently in the northeast. The core of the castle is formed by the remains of a round tower in the south-east, behind it is a massive irregularly rectangular building of the Pluhov houses, and on the highest part of the promontory is a pair of prismatic towers joined together by a connecting wing. The eastern tower contains the castle chapel with important wall paintings, while the massive western tower contains a number of living rooms. A number of late Gothic stonework elements, such as portals, have been preserved, as well as the remains of painted decoration. In the south-west, the castle core is complemented by a building of classical stables. To the south is the Baroque castle with the adjacent terraced castle garden.

In 1985, the reliquary of St. Maurus, which had been hidden here in 1945, was found and recovered in the castle chapel as part of a Public Security search. The reliquary is the most important Romanesque jewellery monument in the country and, apart from the crown jewels, the most important jewellery monument in the country. Since 2002, after previous restoration, the reliquary has been placed again in Bečov nad Teplou, this time in the nearby castle.

This product is part of the following product sets: