Silver Coin 200 CZK Karel Havlíček Borovský 200th Anniversary of his Birth 2021 Proof

Karel Havlíček Borovský - 200th anniversary of his birth

On the reverse side of the bicentenary is a portrait of Karel Havlicek Borovský. On the perimeter of the coin, the text "KAREL HAVLÍČEK BOROVSKÝ" is inscribed at the right edge and the year "1821 - 2021" at the left edge. The motif includes the initials of the author of the coin 'FZ'.

On the obverse side of the bicentenary are fragments of the title pages of Karel Havlíček Borovský's newspapers and the title of one of his literary works. The text 'CZECH REPUBLIC' appears at the upper edge of the coin and the face value '200 CZK' is located at the left edge of the coin.

Karel Havlíček Borovský (31 October 1821 - 29 July 1856) is an important figure in the history of the Czech nation. A journalist, politician, satirist and poet, he is considered the founder of Czech journalism.

He was born in Borová near Přibyslav into a merchant family. It was his native village that became part of his name. In Německý Brod (today's Havlíčkův Brod) he graduated from a grammar school, which he followed with two years of study at the Faculty of Philosophy in Prague. Subsequently, he transferred to the Archbishop's Seminary, but was expelled from his studies because of his views on the priesthood. Initially, he admired Russian culture and supported Slavic reciprocity, but changed his mind during a year's stay in Tsarist Russia. He writes his observations in Obrazi z Rus and publishes them in a supplement to the Prague Newspaper, where he works as an editor for the next two years.

In the revolutionary year of 1848 he founds the National Newspaper. The first Czech-language newspaper in the Czech lands, it gains great popularity and influence. Havlicek expresses his critical views on the central government of Austria and promotes national interests. In the same year he is arrested and briefly imprisoned for his participation in the Prague June Uprising. But as an elected deputy of the Reichstag he is protected by immunity and is not tried. In December 1848, he resigns as a deputy.
As part of the repression during the state of emergency following the exposure of the so-called May Conspiracy in 1849, the National Newspaper is banned. Havlíček goes to Kutná Hora and founds the magazine Slovan. At that time he is already under police surveillance and the authorities try to get him to cooperate. When they are unsuccessful, they take steps that lead to the closure of the periodical in 1851. Havlíček still publishes a book collection of his articles The Spirit of the National Newspaper and The Epistles of Kutná Hora and goes into seclusion in Německý Brod.

Nevertheless, the Austrian authorities still followed Havlíček and proposed his deportation. For the next four years he and his family become exiles in the remote town of Brixen. Here he writes a satirical poem, Tyrolean Elegy, in which he tells of the hardships associated with his arrest and forced departure from his homeland.
The stay in Brixen is good for the health of the family suffering from tuberculosis, but otherwise they are not happy there. Therefore, the wife and daughter leave for Bohemia and hope that Havlicek will follow them. The authorities allow him to return after a year and, as a condition, he signs a protocol in which he agrees to refrain from public activities. On his way home in 1855, he learns of his wife's death, and on his return he is left alone in Německý Brod, which he is not allowed to leave without the permission of the authorities. His health deteriorates and after being taken to Prague he dies at the age of 35.

His funeral becomes a national rally, during which Božena Němcová places a crown of thorns on his coffin as a sign of martyrdom.

Each silver coin is stored in a protective plastic capsule and placed in a dark blue box along with a certificate of authenticity from the CNB.