King Willem-Alexander strikes first Willemstad 10 Euro Coin

Houten, 02 Februari 2023

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands struck the first Willemstad Golden 10 Euro coin. The first strike took place on the Governors Square, in front of the entrance of the Governor’s Palace. The commemorative coin was designed by Cleo Maxime de Brabander and is commissioned by the Ministry of Finance. The Willemstad 5 Euro coin is available on www.royaldutchmint.com and www.knm.nl.

Since 1997, the historical districts of Punda, Otrabanda, Scharloo and Pietermaai are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Historic Willemstad is part of a small group of World Heritage Cities around the world, that are seen as monuments because of their cultural historic value. The unique location of the districts around the water emphasize why Willemstad distinguishes itself as a port city. In addition, Willemstad still presents itself as a historically recognizable city. The Willemstad 5 Euro Coin is already the 10^th commemorative coin that is released in the series Dutch World Heritage. Since 2012, many interesting subjects have been covered in the series.

UNESCO World Heritage
The Willemstad 5 Euro Coin is part of the series UNESCO World Heritage of the Kingdom. UNESCO, part of the United Nations, decides when an area or building belongs to the World Heritage. Hundreds of heritages are on the World Heritage list: these places are all irreplaceable. All the World Heritage together show a diversity of nature and culture in the world and contribute to the respect we have for each other. The building or area that receives the status of World Heritage after a long procedure, has to be managed well to keep this status.

Design
The Willemstad 5 Euro Coin was designed by Cleo Maxime de Brabander. The obverse shows king Willem-Alexander. On the background, the Queen Juliana Bridge in Willemstad is shown. The four stars at the upper part of the obverse represent the four countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands: the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten. The reverse contains a city view with all four districts that are part of the Unesco World Heritage: Punda, Otrobanda, Scharloo and Pietermaai. Several important monuments can be discovered on the coin.

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