Košice Treasure goes to Budapest

THE KOŠICE Golden Treasure (or Kassai Aranyikincs in Hungarian) is now on show at the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest. Zuzana Bobríková, spokesperson for Košice Region, told the SITA newswire that the exhibition was opened on January 31 by Miklos Rethelyi, the Hungarian Minister of National Resources, and Daniel Krajcer, Slovakia’s Culture Minister.

The glass-covered gold coin of King Ferdinand I.The glass-covered gold coin of King Ferdinand I. (Source: TASR)

THE KOŠICE Golden Treasure (or Kassai Aranyikincs in Hungarian) is now on show at the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest. Zuzana Bobríková, spokesperson for Košice Region, told the SITA newswire that the exhibition was opened on January 31 by Miklos Rethelyi, the Hungarian Minister of National Resources, and Daniel Krajcer, Slovakia’s Culture Minister.

The Košice Golden Treasure is a massive find of gold coins manufactured by 81 European mints between the 15th and 17th centuries. The treasure – unearthed during excavations in downtown Košice on August 24, 1935 and one of the largest finds anywhere in the world – is being exhibited in Hungary for the first time.

The importance of the Košice Golden Treasure is attested to by the fact that it is on display where the coronation cloak of St. Stephen, the patron saint of Hungary, was previously exhibited, an area that fulfils the most modern and strict preservation conditions. The exhibit will remain until March 20.

Bobríková told SITA that the treasure had previously been on view in only two European capitals – Bratislava, in the Luginsland Bastion of Bratislava Castle, and in Prague in the building of the former federal parliament on Wenceslas Square that is used by the Czech National Museum.

Most of the treasure consists of gold ducats and double-ducats as well as three gold medals and a gold Renaissance chain. The 2,920 gold coins came from all corners of Europe including Czech territories, the Hungarian Kingdom and Transylvania, as well as Dutch, German, Austrian, Polish, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish and British mints.

The large number of individual types of coins, together with the geographical span of their origin, makes the treasure truly exceptional.

An etui – or ornamental box – found along with the coins also contained three precious gold medals. The equestrian medal of Emperor Ferdinand I from 1541 is the most unique, as similar medals made of silver can be traced throughout Europe, but this one is made of gold. A 214 centimetre-long Renaissance chain made of pure gold and weighing 587.14 grams, was also found with the coins. The newest coin was minted in Kremnica in 1679.


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