Results of the public anonymous competition for the design of a 20-euro silver collector coin featuring the Historical Preservation Area of Trnava

Reduced first prize and the selected design
Mgr. art. Roman Lugár

Second prize
Miroslav Rónai

Reduced third prize
Karol Ličko

In September 2010, Národná banka Slovenska announced a public anonymous competition for the design of a 20-euro silver collector coin featuring the historical preservation area of Trnava town. Twelve designs by twelve different designers were entered in the competition. In November 2010, the entries were judged by the NBS Governor’s Committee for the Assessment of Designs for Slovak Coins, with expert advice provided by Ing. arch. Viera Dvořáková, a representative of the Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic, Štefan Bošnák, Mayor of Trnava, and Ing. arch. Milan Horák, a representative of Trnava Town Hall.

The design approved for the coin was made by Mgr. art. Roman Lugár and he won a reduced first prize. His design impressed the Committee with its accurate depiction of Trnava’s historical assets. The obverse side shows the building complex of Trnava University, one of the oldest universities in the territory of Slovakia, while the reverse side depicts the Church of St Nicholas, the town tower, and other architectural landmarks of the town. The architecture is aptly complemented by an image of the Virgin Mary of Trnava, whose painting at the Church of St Nicholas is associated with the historically proven ending of a plague epidemic in Trnava in 1710. The Committee’s expert advisers also praised the design, considering it to be the clearest depiction of the Trnava historical preservation area. In response to comments from a representative of the Heraldry Commission of the Slovak Ministry of Interior, the designer altered the design by repositioning the state emblem outside the townscape.

The second prize was awarded to Miroslav Rónai for a harmonious design, in which architectural landmarks of Trnava are depicted on both sides. The reverse design incorporates a motif from the town’s coat of arms and has the townscape in the lower part. A reduced third prize was awarded to Karol Ličko, whose design was noted for the fine content and artwork of the reverse side, which shows some of the town’s significant architectural heritage. The obverse design portrays the Virgin Mary of Trnava above a view of the town.