The coronation of the Hungarian kings in Bratislava - this is the theme of the third Ducat series of the Czech Mint in 2023, which was created for Slovak collectors and investors. The gold ducat features not only King Maximilian, but also a scene from the first part of the coronation act.

The Hungarian throne was not a matter of inheritance. The new king had to be elected by the Diet of Estates. If the king wanted to secure the crown for his son, he had to obtain the consent of the Estates and have him crowned during his lifetime. Ferdinand I obtained this privilege for his firstborn son Maximilian in 1563. Thus, after the coronation, Hungary had two kings at the same time - the father reigned and the son awaited his death...

"For centuries, the kings of Hungary were crowned in the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in Székesfehérvár, but it was occupied by the Ottoman army at the time. Therefore, the parish and chapter church in Pressburg - or Bratislava, the then capital of Hungary - was chosen for the coronation of Maximilian. Székesfehérvár should have been liberated and the next coronation shoud taken place here again, but the Turks destroyed the Church of Our Lady and the coronation never returned," explains Slovak historian Štefan Holčík, who is an expert on Bratislava's coronation festivities.

Medal maker Veronika Prokopová, DiS., dedicated the obverse side of the ducat to a portrait of King Maximilian. The additional motif is a scene from the coronation of the Hungarian monarch. The reverse side is dominated by the St. Stephen's crown.

The commemorative mintage of only 200 pieces respects the specifications defined by the first Republican St. Wenceslas ducats.