2 euro Germany 2006, Holstentor in Lübeck - Schleswig-Holstein





German commemorative 2 euro coins - Schleswig Holstein from the "Bundesländer" series


Commemorative 2 euro coins from Germany
   In 2006 Germany began issuing an annual series of 2 euro commemorative coins with one new design per year. The series of coins will reflect the rotation of the presidency of the “Bundesrat”, or the upper chamber of the National German Parliament.

Description: The inner part of the coin shows a representation of the Holstentor, the symbol of the town of Lübeck, appears on this coin commemorating the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. The word 'Schleswig-Holstein' appears underneath the gate at the bottom of the inner part. The engraver's initials 'HH' are depicted on the right hand side of the design; the mintmark appears on the left hand side of the design. The twelve stars of the European Union form a semicircle on the upper part of the outer ring, interrupted by the year of mintage '2006'at the top of the coin. The words "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" form a semicircle on the lower part of the outer ring.



Reverse: left from the coin centre face value: 2, on the right inscription: EURO; in the background of the inscription a map of Europe; in the background of the map vertically six parallel lines ending on both sides with five-pointed stars (the reverse is common for all euro coins)

Designer: Heinz Hoyer is credited with the design of the German 2006 €2 Euro Commemorative coin.
Issuing volume: 30 million coins

Date of issue: 2 February 2007
Face value:     2 euro
Diameter:        25.75 mm
Thickness:       2.2 mm
Weight:            8.5 gr
Composition: BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring Cupronickel (75% copper - 25% nickel clad on nickel core), center Nickel brass
€2 Edge Inscription: The German €2 coin edge inscription is "EINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT" (Unity and Justice and Freedom), followed by the German federal eagle.

Mint Marks:
A - Berlin National Mint ( Staatliche Münze Berlin ) in Berlin, Germany.
D - Bavarian Central Mint ( Bayerisches Hauptmünzamt ) in München, Germany.
F - Baden-Württemberg National Mint, Stuttgart Embossing ( Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg Prägestätte Stuttgart ) in Stuttgart, Germany.
G - Baden-Württemberg National Mint, Karlsruhe Embossing ( Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg Prägestätte Karlsruhe ) in Karslruhe, Germany.
J - Hamburg Mint ( Hamburgische Münze ), in Hamburg, Germany.
while B, C, E and H used to be mint locations that had been closed prior to the introduction of the Euro.

German Bundesländer series
Germany started the commemorative coin series Die 16 Bundesländer der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (The 16 States of the Federal Republic of Germany) in 2006, which will continue until 2021. Coins will be issued in the same sequence as the annual rotation of the presidency in the 'Bundesrat' (upper house of parliament), in which the 16 federal states are represented.
The coins issued are: 2 euro 2006 Schleswig-Holstein, 2 euro 2007 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 2 euro 2008 Hamburg, 2 euro 2009 Saarland, 2 euro 2010 Bremen, 2 euro 2011 North Rhine-Westphalia, 2 euro 2012 Bavaria, 2 euro 2013 Baden-Württemberg, 2 euro 2014 Lower Saxony, 2 euro 2015 Hesse, 2 euro 2016 Saxony, 2 euro 2017 Rhineland-Palatinate, 2 euro 2018 Berlin, 2 euro 2019 Saxony-Anhalt, 2 euro 2020 Thuringia, 2 euro 2021 Brandenburg.

Holstentor
The Holsten Gate ("Holstein Tor", later "Holstentor") is a city gate marking off the western boundary of the old center of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. This Brick Gothic construction is one of the relics of Lübeck’s medieval city fortifications and the only remaining city gate, except for the Citadel Gate ("Burgtor"). Because its two round towers and arched entrance are so well known it is regarded today as a symbol of this German city, and together with the old city centre (Altstadt) of Lübeck it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
The gate was constructed between 1464 and 1478 during a period of “modernization” of the fortifications of this Hanseatic city. The complex timber frame and brick construction has some walls that are more than 11 feet thick. The gate was built on a somewhat marshy area that had been re-enforced, at the time, with additional soil. However, over the centuries it has sunken slightly on one side. A major restoration of the gate was undertaken in the 1860’s. From 1931 to 1933 further attempts to re-enforce the gate were undertaken by encircling the towers with iron rings anchored into the ground. The Holstentor has become the symbol of the city of Lübeck, as well as being depicted on many products produced in the area, such as the delectable Marzipan treats manufactured there. The Holsten Gate appears on the 50 DM bank notes produced from 1960 to 1991 and on the German two-euro coin issued in 2006.
The Holsten Gate appears on the 50 Deutsche Mark bank notes produced from 1960 to 1991 and on the German two-euro coin issued in 2006.
In 1948 it appeared on the four highest denominations (DM 1, DM 2, DM 3 and DM 5) of the first long-term series of postage stamps in German mark currency, which featured buildings. In 2000 it appeared on the 5 DM and 10 DM postage stamp of another series, "Places of Interest".

Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck, is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. Situated on the river Trave, it was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League ("Queen of the Hanse"). Because of its extensive Brick Gothic architecture, it is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The old part of Lübeck is on an island enclosed by the Trave. The Elbe–Lübeck Canal connects the Trave with the Elbe River. Another important river near the town centre is the Wakenitz. The Autobahn 1 connects Lübeck with Hamburg and Denmark (Vogelfluglinie). The borough of Travemünde is a sea resort and ferry port on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Its central station links Lübeck to a number of railway lines, notably the line to Hamburg.

Schleswig Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig. Its capital city is Kiel; other notable cities are Lübeck, Flensburg and Neumünster.
The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia, the Danish name is Slesvig-Holsten, the Low German name is Sleswig-Holsteen, and the North Frisian name is Slaswik-Holstiinj. Historically, the name can also refer to a larger region, containing both present-day Schleswig-Holstein and the former South Jutland County (Northern Schleswig) in Denmark.