Kraków Geocoin set #1: Winter edition

To stay with me.

This coin belongs to the representative "#1" set of the Kraków Geocoins. They have been designed according to my idea by Christopher Waddell.

The obverse is based on the "flaming Gothic" spire of the tower of St. Mary Basilica in Kraków. The church has two unequal towers and the higher one does not technically belong to the church but to the city. It was used as the city watchtower. A watchmen was looking from there for fire or enemies. Nowadays an honor fireman guard sits there all the time and plays a bugle call every hour night and day.

The reverse shows a few motives characteristic to Kraków. You can see:

• The monogram of the king Casimir the Great - the crowned letter K that could be also read as R "Kazimirus Rex".
• The "obwarzanek" cake. A relative to the German "Pretzel".
• The Wawel Dragon - legends say that a dragon once lived in the cave beneath the Wawel Castle. The dragon wears a four-corner red cap with a peacock feather - which is characteristic to the region.
• Lajkonik. In 12th century during the Mongol invasions on Europe local rafters ambushed a Mongol leader and took his horse and clothes to the town. The yearly Lajkonik parade commemorates it.
• A trumpet - it sounds from the tower every full hour.

The dimensions of the coins are: 64mm tall, 52mm wide, 10mm deep at the base, 5mm deep at the top of the spire. The weight is 60g. The coin stands firmly upright without an external help when put on a flat surface.

This version of the coin is the XLE 48 "Winter" - Satin Silver with blue letters on a glitter silver reverse background. The reverse is epoxy coated.