“The Town Hall in Brzeg” – a new NBP commemorative coin
Narodowy Bank Polski is putting into circulation commemorative coins of the series “Discover Poland”, with a face value of 5 złoty.
Narodowy Bank Polski has announced that a new commemorative coin of the series “Discover Poland” – “The Town Hall in Brzeg”, will be available on sale as of tomorrow.
The 5 złoty commemorative coin, with the reverse featuring the image of the town hall in Brzeg, has been minted in circulation standard in up to 1,000,000 pieces. It will be possible to exchange the coin at its face value at all NBP regional branches.
The origin of the town hall in Brzeg dates back to the Middle Ages. At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, the town hall consisted of two parallel buildings. Their red-painted brick façades were decorated with ornamental blind windows. By the mid-16th century, the town council’s seat in this form no longer satisfied the aspirations of the authorities of Brzeg. They decided to remodel the town hall. In the wake of the great fire of Brzeg in 1569, their plans gathered momentum. A year later, the town signed a contract with an Italian architect and entrepreneur, Giacomo Parr, who rebuilt the town hall by 1577 to a design by his son-in-law, Bernardo Niuron, in Renaissance style. Duke George II of Brzeg had supported this undertaking from the start. Thanks to this ambitious patron, the municipal authorities gained a splendid residence in the form of a municipal palace.
Incorporating the old Gothic walls, the architects constructed a three-wing building. On its west side, they made an elegant façade with an arcaded loggia, flanked by two towers with staircases, and three gables in the steep roof. The clock tower was topped with an ornamental steeple with two openings, and its walls were adorned with sgraffito decorations imitating diamond cuts.
The seat of the Brzeg town council in its Renaissance shape has survived to this day almost unaltered, becoming a remarkable example of the adoption of the Italian Renaissance style in Central Europe. The following centuries saw modifications solely in the functions and décor of certain interiors of the town hall. In 1646, the large hall on the first floor of the southern wing gained an impressive larch ceiling. In 1743-1746, one of the rooms on the first floor of the northern wing was converted into a splendid chamber of the town council, called the Councillors’ Chamber. Thanks to the recent restoration works, the Brzeg town hall has regained its original splendour and ravishing architecture.
More information can be found in the brochure.
The next issue is scheduled on 26 November 2025. On that day, Narodowy Bank Polski will be putting into circulation a silver collector coin with a face value of 20 złoty “History of the Polish Coin” – “5 złoty from the Period of the November Uprising”.
Contact:
Contact for collectors: e-mail kolekcjoner@nbp.pl, tel. +48 22 185 17 05
Contact for the media: e-mail press@nbp.pl, tel. +48 22 185 2012
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About NBP
Narodowy Bank Polski holds the exclusive right to issue banknotes and coins in Poland. All currency issued by NBP, including collector banknotes and coins, is legal tender in Poland. Issuing collector items is an occasion to commemorate historic figures and anniversaries as well as to develop the interest of the public in Polish culture, science and tradition.
High-resolution images of the coins: https://nbp.pl/en/coins-and-banknotes/collector-coins/catalogue/