Exactly 60 years have passed since the first human went into space in 2021. A silver coin of the Czech Mint dedicated to Yuri Gagarin is published to this occasion.

World War II brought humanity not only hardship, but also extraordinary technological progress. Missiles belonged to the latest inventions for destruction. You will surely remember the dreaded Soviet Katyusha or the legendary German V-2 missiles. After the war, these technologies were further developed and, in addition to the destructive task, they were given another one - to transport their creators into space. Thus began the rivalry between the two superpowers - the USSR and the USA - and their two ideologies who would realize the dream of conquering the space. These "space races" became one of the key events of the Cold War, and the Soviet Union gained an incredible advantage right from the start. After the first artificial satellite called Sputnik 1 and the first living creature, which was a female named Lajka, he managed to send the first man into space. The Russian pilot Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space on April 12, 1961. He was brought into orbit by the Vostok 1 rocket, which took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, then circled the Earth once and landed again after 108 exciting minutes - alive and well. "When I flew around the Earth in a spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. Humans, let us protect and reproduce this beauty, but let us not destroy it! ” said the astronaut, who became a hero not only for his country, but for the whole world.

The author of the coin is the medal maker MgA. Josef Oplištil, who also created an issue for the Solar System cycle with the motif of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. The reverse side of the coin is dominated by a portrait of Yuri Gagarin in a spacesuit with a helmet. In the background there is a Vostok 1 rocket ready for launch, and a copy shows PRVNÍ ČLOVĚK VE VESMÍRU – 12. 4. 1961 (THE FIRST MAN IN SPACE - April 12, 1961). The obverse side of the coin then presents Gagarin's Vostok 3KA in Earth's orbit. Since the coins of the Czech Mint are licensed by a foreign issuer, the island of Niue, the obverse side bears its essential attributes - the name and portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the nominal value of 2 DOLLARS (NZD) and the year of issue 2021.

The coin is part of the Solar System collector's cycle, and therefore has its place in the narrative collector's album that you will also find in the offer of the Czech Mint.