Lithuania. Uniquely Designed Silver Coin Marks Creation of Metre Measuring Unit

The term for the measurement of length the world has come to know as the metre was first created in 17^th century Vilnius. It was during the period of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth under the reign of John Casimir Vasa (1648–1668) and after the wars of the mid-17th century. Its creator was Tito Livio Burattini (1617–1681) an Italian physicist, mathematician, geographer, Egyptologist, architect, inventor, diplomat and finance specialist and some have described him as the Leonardo da Vinci of the North. The connection between the metre’s creator and that of the Mints of Lithuania are as extraordinary as the new unit of measurement itself.

It was in 1665 that Burattini moved to Vilnius and was placed in charge of the Vilnius state mint, as well as similar facilities in Brest-Litovsk, Krakow and Ujazdów. Lithuania’s coin mint was reopened and operated from the territory of the ravaged Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. It was at this location that copper shillings – known as boratinka, along with silver and gold coins, were minted here between 1664 and 1666. Later archaeological excavation work near this site revealed the building’s foundations of the Mint along with two thousand copper shillings, unused blanks and their cut-outs.

While in Lithuania, Burattini published a book in Vilnius in 1675 entitled Misura Universale and it is this publication where he includes the first mention of the term ‘metre’ as a unit of length. This length was determined by a mathematical measure of time, equal to the length of a pendulum whose oscillation lasts one second. Burattini based the name of his unit from the Greek word metron - meaning measure and devised the word metro or, metre. The author suggested calling the universal unit the Metro Cattolico which implied that he had hoped it would be used throughout all the Catholic lands.

The introduction of his publication reads: 

"UNIVERSAL MEASURE or treatise in which it is shown how in all the Places of the World one can find a MEASURE, and a UNIVERSAL WEIGHT without having any relation to any other MEASURE, and any other WEIGHT, and in any case in all the places they will be the same, and will be unalterable, and perpetual as long as the WORLD lasts"

Today, the development of the metre as a unit of measurement is considered one of the most important developments in human history, affecting everything from engineering to international trade to political systems. The metre of Burattini's concept became a standard unit of measurement after being defined by the French National Assembly in 1791. It was initially defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole. Later, in 1799, it was redefined using a prototype metre bar. This prototype metre bar was later replaced, and the metre was redefined again in 1960 and 1983.

The silver proof-LIKE coins are produced by the Mint of Lithuania at their facilities in Vilnius on behalf of the Bank of Lithuania and designed by Rūta Ničajienė. The coin is crafted from a 995 millimetre long strip - which symbolises the length of the Metro Cattolico, based on Burattini’s work Misura Universale. The shape of the coin forms a circle from the spiral-wound strip with an irregular hole in the centre. The obverse side includes the inscription along the circumference of the edge METRO CATTOLICO · ANNO 1675 VILNIUS · TITO LIVIO BURATTINI · MISURA UNIVERSALE. The reverse side includes the inscription LIETUVA (Lithuania) and the year of issue, 2025 separated by the mintmark of the Lithuanian Mint and arranged in a semicircle along the upper edge. Just Below the centre is the denomination 20€.

Available from the 22^nd May, the coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom case accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Bank of Lithuania.