7 g, Centenary of Prekmurje rejoining its homeland (2019)

Source: Banka Slovenije

After the end of the First World War, the region of Prekmurje was awarded to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes under the accords of the Paris Peace Conference. This was attended by Dr Matija Slavič, then a member of Maribor’s national council for Styria and Prekmurje, who in two academic debates at the conference argued for the inclusion of the Slovene lands (Prekmurje and Porabje) in the Slovene homeland.

The region was occupied by the Yugoslav army on 12 August 1919 without a shot being fired. The region was first placed under military administration, and then handed over to the civilian authorities on 17 August. This reunited the Slovenes of Prekmurje with the rest of the nation, after eight centuries of Hungarian rule. On that day in Beltinci a crowd of more than twenty thousand celebrated the reunion of Prekmurje with the rest of Slovenia. The precise determination and fixing of the borders came with the Treaty of Trianon of 4 July 1920, which guaranteed the proper protection of ethnic minorities in being able to use their native language in public and at school.

The National Assembly has made 17 August a national holiday. In the proposal for this national holiday the following was written: “This desire for unity had to be recognised among our national holidays, so that future generations will remember how Slovenes came into being, united, and preserved themselves. It also connects us with our common efforts to strengthen Slovenia’s culture and economy, and for greater welfare for all.”

The Republic of Slovenia is issuing collector coins to mark the centenary of Prekmurje rejoining its homeland. The design centres on a quote from Jožef Klekl the Elder, a writer and supporter of Slovene nationhood, from the 17 August 1919 issue of the local newspaper Novine, together with the image of a stork on the wing. That it is flying from right to left, i.e. east to west, adds extra symbolism.

Design: Matej Ramšak, Velenje

Minting: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Italy