Silver coin of the Czech National Bank with a nominal value of 200 CZK, minted in standard quality, commemorates the 900th anniversary of the death of chronicler Cosmas.

A man named Cosmas was a learned priest, dean of the Prague chapter at St. Vitus Cathedral, and above all the first known Czech chronicler. The chronicles he compiled at the beginning of the 12th century, which went down in history as Kosmas's Czech Chronicle, are the most important source for  the early Middle Ages from the Czech perspective. The first volume recalls our earliest history. The author searches for it in biblical times, as the emergence of different languages in the Middle Ages was associated with the construction of the Tower of Babel, but legendary names such as the forefather Čech, the voivode Krok and the princess Libuše are also present. From the mythical tales of old men, Cosmas gradually moves on to verifiable events and personalities – such as the first Christian Czech prince, Bořivoj – and finally comes to the chronicler's own time. The final part of the chronicle reflects the Czech past most faithfully. Kosmas moved in the highest circles of society and thus had access to a wealth of reliable and trustworthy information, which he recorded. This is by no means a dry account of Czech history. The text, which was intended to educate and entertain, is enlivened by information about the weather and harvests, on which medieval society depended, and by direct speech, which in style sometimes resembles 21st-century tabloid journalism. Work on these remarkable chronicles ceased in 1125, at the time of Cosmas' death. Although other chroniclers were inspired by his work, none could match him...

The design by academic sculptor Michal Vitanovský won the Czech National Bank's art competition. The expert committee particularly appreciated the ‘stylisation of Spytihněv's basilica, which stood on the site of today's St. Vitus Cathedral’. On the obverse side, you will find the Latin inscription COSMAS DECANUS – meaning Dean Cosmas – supplemented with the decorative initial C. The obverse side is dominated by a depiction of a writing canon incorporated into the silhouette of a face and surrounded by fragments of period architecture.

All Czech coins, both commemorative and circulation coins, are produced at the Czech Mint in Jablonec nad Nisou.