Silver medal Karel Kryl 2014 Proof

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Karel Kryl

In 2014 we commemorated two round anniversaries of Karel Kryl. On 3 March it was exactly 20 years since he left us prematurely and on 12 April the 70th anniversary of his birth. The Czech Mint reacted to his significant untimely jubilee by issuing an extraordinary gold and silver commemorative medal.

The silver Karel Kryl medal is a tribute to the 70th birthday of the unique Czech singer-songwriter, poet, journalist and artist. His cultural and human legacy should not cease to resound in our hearts and this medal is an immortal reminder of him. The minting and the design of the commemorative medal was personally blessed by the singer's widow Maria Magdalena Kryl.

Considering that investment silver prices are still at historic lows for the past few years and have great upside potential, investing in artistically crafted silver is also an excellent way to save your money. The medal is being issued in a limited edition of 1000 pieces.

Karel Kryl was born on April 12, 1944 in Kroměříž. He was one of the leading representatives of the so-called Czech Protestong. The "poet with a guitar" is the author of all the lyrics of his famous pamphlet songs and longer poetic compositions.

His grandparents were printers, but their family printing house was liquidated by the communists in the 1950s. Karel first wanted to become a potter, but poetry and music consumed him completely. He published his first song - The Invisible Girl - in 1968. In the same year, his first album was released with the title song "Bratříček, zavírej vrátka", which was written as an immediate reaction to the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops. In 1969 Karel Kryl emigrated to Germany and settled in Munich. He collaborated with the editorial staff of Svobodna Evropa both externally and later as an employee. His other albums (apart from the LP Monologues) were released in exile.

Karel Kryl returned to his homeland briefly in November 1989 for his mother's funeral. His initial enthusiasm for the Velvet Revolution soon left him, and in 1990 he published first a critical song, Velvet Spring, and then he criticized the post-revolutionary development on the albums Monologues, the poems Democracy, Timur and His Party and others.

Karel Kryl died on 3 March 1994 in Munich as a result of a severe heart attack. On 28 October 1995, President Václav Havel also awarded him in memoriam the Medal of Merit, Second Class, for his contribution to the spiritual development and moral support of the nation (1994), the František Kriegel Award (1995) and the Czech GRAMMY Award (Hall of Fame - 1995).

The design of the medal was done by the academic sculptor Zbyněk Fojtů with his distinctive artistic handwriting. On the obverse side he depicted the singer-songwriter with his unmistakable light smile, while on the reverse side he used the silhouette of a guitar made of the words of his songs and the symbol of a cut barbed wire.