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The Mint of Austria has released (22nd January) new collector coins in celebration of one of the country’s renowned cultural festivals. On the 22nd August 1920, the director Max Reinhardt staged Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s morality play Jedermann in Salzburg’s Domplatz for the first time, and, as a result, founded the Salzburg Festival. Since 1926, the play has been a permanent part of the festival programme — a tradition interrupted only during the Second World War.
Movie or film aficionados will recall that the Salzburg Festival actually featured as a location and venue in the 1965 motion picture The Sound of Music. As depicted in the worldwide blockbuster feature, the family Von Trapp won first place in the Salzburg Music Festival in 1936 and became successful internationally, singing Renaissance and Baroque music, madrigals, and folk songs all across Europe. They left their beloved Austria owing to the outbreak of the Second World War and eventually settled in the United States. Many members of the family still travel to Salzburg to attend and have performed in previous festivals.
The festival has evolved into the greatest classic festival in the world. For the itinerary in 2020, its centenary year, more than 200 performances in 15 venues over 44 days will be staged, with guests from 80 countries — 40 of them non-European. This year, On the occasion of its centenary, the Salzburg Festival will pay tribute to one of its defining figures and a committed supporter of young conducting talent with the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award. This award is open to conductors from all over the world who are over 21 and under 35 years of age.
The design of this extraordinary centenary coin is created by Helmut Andexlinger, who utilised an avant-garde in approach.
| Denom. |
Metal |
Weight | Diameter | Quality |
Maximum Mintage |
| 20 euro |
.925 Silver |
22.4 g | 34 mm | Proof with applied colour |
30,000 |
Each Proof example is presented in a custom case, accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity. For more information about this coin and others available from the Austrian Mint, please visit their website.
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