The motif of the coin issued in 2014 for the federal state of Lower Saxony is the “St Michaeliskirche” (St Michael’s Church) in Hildesheim, shown from its characteristic southern facade. The church’s layout, in the form of a Greek double cross with two transepts and two large towers over the east and west crossings, is convincingly portrayed. The design uses clean lines and shows an exceptional level of detail that extends to the tracery on the church’s windows. The coin presents an easily recognisable, concise and coherent image of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The commemorative coin is to be brought into circulation on 7 February 2014. Despite the special motif, it is a standard circulating coin. Unlike the €10 collector’s coins, where the entire run is minted by the date of issue and coins are available in mint-condition at all Bundesbank branches on this date, regular issue coins are generally minted progressively and brought into circulation as and when required.