The National Bank of Poland has presented a set of coins prepared to commemorate the Smolensk air crash of 10 April 2010 in which President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria and representatives of the ruling circles of Poland perished.

The faces of the coins will bear portraits of the presidential couple, as well as the head of the National bank of Poland, Slawomir Skrzypek, also killed in the crash, and the Tupolev 154 which crashed.

The most impressive coin is made of gold and contains a portrait of the presidential couple. It is to have a face value of 100 zloty (25 euro).

The silver coin, which has a nominal value of 20 zloty is a tribute to all the 96 victims of the tragedy, representing the plane and the tree it caught on landing. Its reverse presents the Smolensk forest and an inscription ‘Smolensk 10.04.2010’.

A ten zloty silver coin is to contain the portrait of the late head of the National Bank.

The fourth coin, meanwhile, will carry a face value of 2 zloty and will enter regular circulation. The coin is also minted in tribute to the victims, presenting the Polish Air Force checkerboard and the date of the tragedy.

The coins are to appear in the beginning of April before the one year anniversary of the Smolensk catastrophe. (ab/jb)

Source: IAR / Images: NBP