The Czech National Bank welcomes the eighth issue from the cycle that represents our most interesting castles. A gold coin with a nominal value of 5000 CZK minted in the quality standard belongs to Švihov.

An important trade route led from the Danubian Lowland to Pilsen. The merchants who used the road needed protection from the thieves, so various fortifications were built along the way. One of them was Švihov, which grew up near to Klatovy in the 14th century. The Rýzmberk dynasty is considered the founder of the fortress surrounded by moats. Švihov was conquered by the Utraquist during the Hussite wars, but the noble family did not lose it - the grateful Emperor Sigismund, to whom the Rýzmberks were faithful, eventually returned it and added Rabí Castle. Dynasty suddenly became one of the most powerful in the country and the fortress began to be small for them. Therefore, Půta Švihovský of Rýzmberk began a costly reconstruction of Švihov into a real castle in the late Gothic style in 1480. Švihov was supposed to be an impressive and impregnable seat, but the Rýzmberks did not enjoy it for a long time - they had to sell it for debt. The impregnable castle was not conquered even by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War. Emperor Ferdinand III. decided to demolish the fortress which could become a haven of enemies. Fortunately, Švihov lost only its outer fortifications and remained the only Czech water castle that retained the appearance of a medieval fortress.

The medal maker Luboš Charvát won the first prize in the art competition of the Czech National Bank for the original rendering of the altar in the castle chapel of the Assumption of Mary on the obverse side. The composition of the obverse side is completed by heraldic animals of the Czech Republic. The reverse side of the coin is dominated by a compositionally unconventional view through the late Gothic portal in the castle courtyard.

The Czech Mint in Jablonec nad Nisou is the exclusive producer of all czech coins - both circulation and commemorative.