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Silver Ducats are commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Finance and are legal coins. The issue depicting the “Gevangenpoort” (prison gate) is part of the sixth issue of the series “Dutch city gates and access roads”.
The prison gate in Zeeland: dining and sleeping in the “Bombproof.”
At the mouth of the Western Scheldt River, lies the prison gate in Vlissingen. This tower offers not only a beautiful view of the sea, but also a rich history, for the prison gate is a remnant of the Westpoort that was built around 1491. With the prison tower on the sea side and another tower on the land side, the West Gate was considered the city gate until 1563. In 1606, the prison gate was designated as the new prison. Everyone feared the “dark pit,” a room in the basement for the most severely punished criminals.
From 1795 the tower was in French possession, and in 1811 the West Gate was largely demolished. The prison gate remained standing and fitted with an earth-covered dome vault. This construction earned the tower the nickname "Bombproof”. After the French left Vlissingen, the Dutch army took over the prison gate and used it as a military prison. After the 1953 flood disaster, the tower was actually supposed to be demolished because the location was seen as a weak spot. However, people fought to preserve it and today the prison gate still stands, surrounded by a dike reinforcement, with an extra floor and with the pointed roof from before 1809. You can dine in the tower and even spend the night there!
Duke Karel van Egmond
According to the Dutch Mint Act, a knight in armor should be on the coin. It is Karel van Egmond (1467 – 1538) (also known as Karel van Gelre). During his reign, he had to deal with threats from emperor Charles V. He also was the last independent feudal ruler of the Netherlands.
Design
The obverse of the Silver Ducat “Gevangenpoort” depicts Duke Karel van Egmond in front of the famous building. The provincial arms of Zeeland are on his shield. The inscription on this issue reads: “MO.NO.ARG.REG.BELGII.ZEL.”. “MO.NO.ARG.REG.BELGII.” is the Latin abbreviation for “Moneta Nova Argenta Regni Belgii”: New Silver coin of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. ZEL stands for the province of Zeeland.
The national coat of arms of the Netherlands is on the reverse with the Royal Crown between the numbers of the year. The inscription reads: “CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCUNT”, Unity makes Strength. There is also the mint mark and the privy mark. The meatal box housing the coin is shown above.
Metal Silver
Fineness 873/1000
Weight 28.25 g
Diameter 40 mm
Quality Proof
Issue Limit 1,500
Edge Cabled |
