The Czech National Bank issued a commemorative coin for the anniversary of the birth of architect Loos

Prague - The Czech National Bank (ČNB) has issued a commemorative silver two-hundred-crown coin to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of one of the most significant world architects of the 20th century and a pioneer of modern architecture, Adolf Loos. It will be available for sale starting Wednesday, with 5,600 coins in standard quality and 10,700 in top quality, the ČNB informed today in a press release. The design of the coin was created by medalist Asamat Baltaev.

The obverse side of the coin depicts the southwest wall of the Müller Villa in Prague, which is one of the most famous works that Loos contributed to. The reverse side features a portrait of the architect.

The nominal value of the coin is not the same as the selling price, which is higher and takes into account, among other things, the current price of silver, manufacturing costs, and VAT. The coin can be purchased from selected contractual partners. For example, on the Czech Mint's website, the price of the coin in standard condition is 595 crowns.

The coin commemorating Loos's birth is the fifth and also the last two-hundred-crown coin issued by the bank this year. It also concludes its emission plan for the years 2016 to 2020. During this five-year period, the bank issued 26 silver, 13 gold, one bimetallic coin, and historically the first commemorative banknote.

The ČNB's emission plan for the years 2021 to 2025 anticipates three silver two-hundred-crown coins next year, one silver five-hundred-crown coin with a hologram, two gold five-thousand-crown coins, and one silver and one gold ten-thousand-crown coin.

Adolf Loos was born on December 10, 1870, in Brno and is considered one of the founders of modern architecture and a leading representative of architectural purism. Throughout his life, he moved between Vienna, Paris, and New York. He rejected the excessive ornamentation characteristic of the prevailing Art Nouveau style and advocated for starkly functional and practical residential architecture. In the Czech Republic, more than 30 buildings and interiors bear his authorship. His thinking and realizations influenced contemporary architecture and inspired later developments and directions of architecture on an international scale. He died in 1933.