Poland 10 Zlotych 2011 Presidential Plane Crash in Smolensk (In Memory of the Victims of the 10 April 2010 Presidential Plane Crash in Smolensk)

A silver collector coin struck for the first anniversary of the catastrophe at Smolensk, commemorating the figure of the President of the National Bank of Poland, Sławomir Skrzypek. Obverse: In the center, a stylized image of a fragment of a split tree trunk. On the left-hand side, stylized images of trees fragments. At the bottom an inscription: SMOLEŃSK/10.04.2010. Below, in a semicircle, the year of issue: 2011. To the left, the image of the eagle established as a state emblem of the Republic of Poland. Underneath, an inscription: 10 ZŁ. To the left of the eagle, in semicircle, an inscription: RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (REPUBLIC OF POLAND). Under the left foot of the eagle the symbol of the mint: M/W. Reverse: In the center, a stylized image of the bust of Sławomir Skrzypek. On the left-hand side, a signature facsimile and underneath an inscription: 1963–2010. At the top, in a semicircle, an inscription: PREZES NBP SŁAWOMIR SKRZYPEK (PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL BANK OF POLAND SŁAWOMIR SKRZYPEK). Coin designer: Anna Wątróbska-Wdowiarska The most tragic dates are not forgotten with the passing of time. They remain in the memory of individuals and nations and become part of the history passed on to future generations. The 10th of April, 2010 will forever be one of those dates. At 8.41 at the Smolensk North Airport-Siewiernyj, the official government aircraft Tupolev 154 M which was to take the Polish delegation to the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre crashed. No-one out of the 96 people onboard survived. Due to the rapid spreading of information, before noon CET, the whole world had already learned about the catastrophe, sharing the difficulty of comprehending the scope of this tragic event, shock and grief, which grew with each new piece of information. These were updated every couple of minutes, completing the list of the aircraft’s passengers with new well-known names. The victims were: the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczyński and his wife Maria, the last President of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, Deputy Marshals of the Polish Sejm and Senate, several Members of Parliament, commanders of all the armed forces, representatives of ministries, public institutions, veteran and social organizations, employees of the Chancellery of the President, members of the clergy, accompanying persons, officers of the Government Protection Bureau and seven members of the crew. Within a few minutes, Poland suffered a loss for which there had been no precedent in the political history of the world. The catastrophe not only brought private grief of the families, but also was a huge loss from the point of view of the functioning of the state, which was now deprived of many high officials deciding on the most fundamental matters, the most important commanders of the army, outstanding participants of the public life and experienced politicians who had been acquiring their competencies over two decades of democracy. The National Bank of Poland also had its share in the loss as one of the members of the presidential delegation killed at the Siewiernyj airport was Sławomir Skrzypek, who had been the President of the Bank from 2007. Each state, nation and culture have their own specific ways of honoring the death of their outstanding representatives: from placing a pall over the coffin and firing honorary salutes at the cemetery to erecting monuments and striking coins. The last of these is part of the mission of the central bank which has been creating a numismatic calendar of the most important events in Polish history for decades. For the first anniversary of the Smolensk catastrophe, the National Bank of Poland will issue coins commemorating the victims: a gold 100-zloty coin dedicated to the presidential couple, a silver 20-zloty coin honoring all the victims of the crash and a silver 10-zloty coin commemorating the tragically deceased President of the National Bank of Poland. The collection will also include a 2-zloty coin from a popular series produced from the Nordic Gold alloy, widely known not only among collectors. This coin will also be dedicated to the memory of all the 96 people who died at the airport in Smolensk on 10 April 2010. The central bank when planning the issue of coins honoring the victims of the catastrophe, presented the idea of the series to the families of the Kaczynscy and Sławomir Skrzypek, acquiring not only their consent, but also recognition for choosing this way of commemorating the death of their nearest relatives. The coins will be a homage which, just like the most tragic dates in history, will not disappear with the passing of time. Author: Maciej Siembieda, the text comes from the prospectus of the National Bank of Poland