Bank of Latvia

5 euro

22,0 g

35,0 mm

Silver 925°

5 000 pcs.

Proof, with pad-printing on the reverse

Ivars Drulle

Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands)

Obverse: the number 5, with the inscription EURO beneath it, in the centre. Four sailing ships are symmetrically arranged along the outer ring of the obverse. Reverse: a compass, with an element painted red and pointing to the North; semi-circled inscription AINAŽU JŪRSKOLA and the years 1864 and 2014.

The call “Go to sea, Latvians...” of Krišjānis Valdemārs (1825–1891), one of the ideologists of the national awakening movement, was a call for Latvians to overcome their backwardness and isolation and to take up a respectable place in the world's economy. The fact that the Latvian lands lay by a bustling sea seemed to be a clear sign of the budding nation's potential. The first Latvian and Estonian nautical school was established on 23 November 1864. In 1880, Ainaži Nautical School was awarded the highest-category status, and it could now groom sea captains. This education was closely tied to shipbuilding in Latvia: by the end of the 19th century, a fleet of 550 sailing ships had formed, of which 50 had been built in Ainaži. Cargoes were brought not only to all the ports in Europe but also across the Atlantic. By now citizens of free Latvia have sailed the seven seas; they have explored the world, integrated with the European Union and joined the euro area.