Latvia. New Gold Coin Features ‘Our Land’ and One Symbolic Square Centimetre of Soil

Latvia's land, cherished like gold but ultimately priceless, even if every millimetre was cast in gold. The new coin is a symbol of every Latvian’s unwavering resolve to defend the land, from the very first to the last square centimetre. The Republic of Latvia, located in the Baltic region of Europe covers an area of 64,589 square kilometres or, 24,937.9 square miles. This small northern coastal European country has great natural beauty with vast landscapes of dense forests, wide fields, clear lakes, refreshing rivers, mossy marshes and sandy beaches. Hundreds and thousands of native homesteads, villages, and towns dot the entire state and every part of this is the land belongs to all Latvians.

Each Latvian has their own place that feels a little closer to hearth and home than the rest of the country, where generations before lived and worked, setting the foundation for the story of each citizen. The symbolic nature of the coin is especially poignant as free Europe is facing an existential threat from forces intent on challenging sovereign freedom and territory.

For Māris Upenieks, the designer of the coin who won Latvijas Banka's open design competition organised at the end of 2023 with his graphic design proposal for the Our Land coin, the subject has great personal meaning. With familial connections to the Preiļi region where after participating in the freedom fights to achieve independence after the fall of Imperial Russia, his great-grandfather bought a piece of land on the outskirts of a small village in the early 1920s. Not long after, he built a log house there with his own hands, a home still standing and whose hearth still radiates warmth to this day.

To complete the design, the graphic artist took a small piece of soil measuring precisely one square centimetre, from the yard of his great-grandfather's home, which was scanned and recreated on the obverse side of the gold coins. Superimposed over the surface which is intricately detailed of the ground which was digitally scanned, the text 1 cm 2 is shown, indicating the square centimetre of ground. The reverse side includes the text LATVIJA 2025 10 EURO arranged in three horizontal lines over a smooth field.  Each square-shaped coin with rounded corners is struck to proof quality by the Royal Dutch Mint, at their facilities in Houten, Netherlands on behalf of the Bank of Latvia.

Available from the 22^nd May, each proof coin is specially encapsulated and presented in a custom case accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. For additional information, please visit the online retail shop of the Latvijas Bankas.