Gold Coin 5000 CZK City Monument Reserve Jihlava 2021 Proof

1/2 Oz Gold Coin - Jihlava Municipal Heritage Reserve

The reverse side of the coin bears a collage of the most important architectural monuments of the Jihlava Municipal Conservation Reserve. The inscription "CITY OF JIHLAVA" is placed at the upper edge of the coin, the year of issue "2021" is placed at the lower edge. The mintmark of the author of the design "LCH" Luboš Charvát is included.

The obverse side of the coin depicts a statue of an angel in heaven from the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The angel is holding the city emblem in its baroque form. Heraldic animals from the great state emblem - the Czech lion, the Moravian eagle and the Silesian eagle - are incorporated into the outline of the Baroque fortification. The name of the series "CITY MONUMENT RESERVATIONS" is given in the description at the upper edge of the coin. The denomination '5 000 CZK' and the issuer 'CZECH REPUBLIC' are inscribed at the bottom edge.

The town of Jihlava lies on the original Czech-Moravian border in the Vysočina region. Its historic core, which is one of the best preserved in the Czech Republic, was declared a city conservation reserve in 1951. The 213 listed buildings form a unique combination of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

The first written record of the merchant settlement of Jihlava dates back to 1233. After the discovery of silver deposits, Wenceslas I founded an upper town on the other side of the river between 1240 and 1243. The mining and processing of silver attracted new inhabitants to the prosperous town held by the king. During the reign of Přemysl Otakar II in 1270, the town received a building code which determined the layout of the town. A large central square is created with a network of rectangular streets protected by massive walls, bastions, towers and a parkán. The townspeople are given the privilege of deciding on the internal development.

The wealth of the city is reflected in the generosity of the buildings. At the same time, three religious buildings are being built, the Church of St James and the Minorite and Dominican monastery complexes. The square is flanked by two-storey stone houses with arcades. At the end of the 14th century, when the richest silver veins are mined, the town concentrates on trade and craftsmanship, mainly in the tannery.

The medieval town, damaged by a great fire in 1523, is replaced by an airy Renaissance style with arcaded loggias and Tuscan columns. The greatest devastation of the town occurred during the Thirty Years' War. In 1645 the occupying Swedes burned and destroyed a large number of houses and created a baroque fortress with bastion fortifications. When they left Jihlava in 1647, only one eighth of the original inhabitants remained in the town. It took more than a century to rebuild and return to prosperity.

During the reign of Maria Theresa, Jihlava became the second largest cloth manufacturer in the monarchy. The town's prosperity at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries is also reflected in its architecture. The city leaves the closed circuit of the walls, the city gates are demolished and the facades of the houses acquire a classicist coat.

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