20 euro collector coin 2024 "75 Jahre Grundgesetz"

Initially formulated as a provisional constitution for the Federal Republic of Germany, the Basic Law has applied to the whole of Germany since the accession of the states on the territory of the former GDR.
The coin was designed by the artist Detlef Behr from Cologne. In its centre, the theme ‘75 years of the Basic Law’ is presented in an offensive way: with a striking composition of the anniversary number and the well-known abbreviation for the Basic Law. Article 1 of the Basic Law - and thus its most important value, so to speak - is placed in the upper third of the coin: THE DIGNITY OF MAN IS INVIOLABLE. The lines of text are continued by a radial grid of dots and visually linked to form a circle - an abstract allusion to our parliamentary seating arrangement and at the same time the link between human dignity and the basic democratic order. The design of the obverse echoes that of the reverse, the eagle with its abstract wings a further reference to parliamentarianism.

The 20 euro collector's coin ‘75 Years of the Basic Law’ honours this unique constitutional document and its enduring success story.

‘Conscious of their responsibility before God and mankind, inspired by the will to serve the peace of the world as an equal member of a united Europe, the German people have adopted this Basic Law by virtue of their constituent power.’ This is the preamble to the Basic Law, which was drawn up by the Parliamentary Council in just nine months. The task: to define a political order that would enable a democratic community under the control of the Allies for a transitional period. With just 146 articles, the foundation stone of our state was laid, transforming Germany into a functioning constitutional state in a very short space of time after years as an unjust state.

It was neither expected nor planned that the Basic Law would endure to this day. ‘We all realise (...) that what we decide here should and must be limited in time,’ said the later Foreign Minister Heinrich von Brentano. There were great concerns that a ‘constitution’ for the territories occupied by the Western Allies would cement the division of Germany - so great that the name ‘Basic Law’ was chosen in the hope that the division would soon be overcome and a constituent National Assembly would be able to draw up a ‘proper’ constitution.

Since the Basic Law came into force, it has taken precedence over all other German legal norms, guarantees our fundamental rights and forms the foundation of our free and democratic basic order. It protects the freedom and dignity of every individual and forms the basis for our common political coexistence. Whether reunification or European integration - which is already set out as a vision in the preamble - the Basic Law has proved itself equal to all challenges. In addition to the separation and interlocking of powers laid down in the Basic Law, one important provision in particular has ensured that it has not become a pawn in the hands of changing political interests: Amendments are only possible with a two-thirds majority and therefore only in a broad consensus of different political and social camps.

The Basic Law unites and defines our fundamental rights: freedom, the rule of law and democracy. These fundamental rights cannot be taken for granted. This makes it all the more worthwhile to stand up and fight for them. Although the Basic Law provides guarantees, it is the task of all citizens to bring them to life.