The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution (November 17 – December 29, 1989) was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the communist government. The term was coined by Rita Klimova, the dissidents' English translator who later became the new non-Communist regime's ambassador to the United States. The term was used internationally to describe the revolution, although the Czech side also used the term internally. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Slovakia used the term Gentle Revolution, the term that Slovaks used for the revolution from the beginning. The Czech Republic continues to refer to the event as the Velvet Revolution.
The inner part of the coin depicts a stylised bell made up of a series of keys. This recalls the demonstration on 17 November 1989, when marching citizens shook their keyrings to make a jangling sound. This marked the beginning of the Velvet Revolution. To the bottom right of the design are the artist’s mark and the mint mark of the Slovak Mint (Mincovna Kremnica).
Issue date: November 2009 |
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Diameter - 25.75mm
Thickness - 2.2mm
Weight - 8.5gr
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| "SLOVENSKA REPUBLIKA" with two stars and a linden leaf in the middle |