Gold Coin 5000 CZK City Monument Reserve Hradec Králové 2023 Proof

1/2 Oz gold coin - Hradec Králové Municipal Heritage Reserve

The reverse side of the coin features a collage of important architectural monuments of the Hradec Králové Municipal Conservation Area. The Gothic medieval city walls with the Bono Publico staircase are depicted in the foreground. Above the walls on the left are depicted the house U Špuláků, the Gothic cathedral church of the Holy Spirit and the classical historical town hall, above which is the Renaissance White Tower. In front of the town hall is a statue of the Virgin Mary from the Baroque Marian Column. The text "HRADEC KRÁLOVÉ CITY" is placed at the upper edge of the coin. The year of mintage "2023" is at the bottom edge of the coin. The initials of the author of the coin, Veronika Prokopová, DiS., which are formed by the composition of the letters "V" and "P", are to the right of the Renaissance White Tower.

The obverse side of the coin depicts the interior of the Bono Publico Empire staircase, incorporating heraldic animals from the great state emblem, namely the Moravian eagle on the left, the Czech lion in the middle and the Silesian eagle on the right. At the upper edge of the coin is the text 'CITY MONUMENT RESERVATIONS'. The text 'CZECH REPUBLIC' is below the heraldic animals. At the bottom edge of the coin is the denomination of the coin with the abbreviation of the monetary unit '5 000 CZK'.

The first written record of the royal town of Hradec dates back to 1225 and attests to the founding of the oldest town in Bohemia. In the early days, the town consisted only of a market and an old castle, which was replaced during the 13th century by a new Gothic castle used as a refuge for Czech kings. In 1373, Hradec became a dowry town by the decision of King Wenceslas II and acquired the title of "Kings". Hradec Králové became part of the dowry of the Czech queens and serves as their widow's residence.

The character of the town at the confluence of the Elbe and Orlice rivers was shaped at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries by the arrival of merchants and craftsmen. Inside the city fortifications, the magnificent Church of the Holy Spirit is built on the Great Square, and the town houses are built on narrow plots typical of Gothic architecture.

The Hussite Wars marked a period of decline for the town, which ended only during the reign of George of Poděbrady. King George begins the restoration of the damaged Church of the Holy Spirit, which is accompanied by extensive construction of new townhouses in the Renaissance style. Some parts of the exterior decoration of the houses and the Renaissance vaults in the interiors have been preserved from this period. Between 1574 and 1589 a bell tower, known as the White Tower, was built. The white sandstone town landmark in the Great Square also served as a fire and watch tower.

The town suffered further destruction during the Thirty Years' War. Of the original 700 houses, only 200 were spared devastation and the population was reduced by 70%. The turning point came in 1664 with the establishment of the Hradec Králové bishopric. Church dignitaries and Jesuits were at the heart of the Baroque restoration of the town. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the adjacent Jesuit college, the Chapel of St. Clement, the bishop's residence and the Marian column in the Great Square are built.

The character of the town is fundamentally changed by a decision of Emperor Joseph II in 1765. Due to its strategic location, the town is converted into a bastion fortress between 1766 and 1789. Hradec Králové loses its suburbs and its inhabitants are evicted to newly founded villages. The architecture of the town is supplemented by military buildings and many town houses undergo classical reconstruction. The town hall on the square, which was built in the Gothic period and gradually underwent Renaissance and Baroque alterations, has also acquired a contemporary appearance in the Late Classical style.

The historic core of Hradec Králové, which comprises 200 cultural monuments, was declared a municipal conservation area in 1962.

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