Silver coin Journey Around the World - Rio de Janeiro stand

The Czech Mint’s series of silver coins titled "Around the World" serves as a guide to the planet’s most famous cities. With this fifth issue, you’ll visit Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro lies in Guanabara Bay on the southeastern coast of Brazil. The beating heart of Latin America was founded in 1565 by Portuguese colonists and later served as the country’s capital for nearly two centuries. In 1960, the newly built Brasília stripped it of its official status as Brazil’s capital, but Rio retained its uniqueness—economically, culturally, and as a tourist destination—and today it is one of the most visited places in the Southern Hemisphere. It is, after all, wild, fun, and above all, colorful. Deeply rooted Christianity and its churches are rivaled by the religion of soccer, with its sanctuary in the form of the Maracanã Stadium. The famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, stretching as far as the eye can see, stand in sharp contrast to the view of Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado—rounded rock formations soaring into the sky. The iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer, whose open arms symbolize peace and tranquility, stands in contrast to the legendary Carnival, full of passion and euphoria. The average visitor gets a taste of the luxury of the famous neighborhoods, but few ever see the impoverished favelas, where gangs and militias reign… It is precisely these contrasts that gave rise to the style that made Rio famous. Samba, in which music and dance, joy and sorrow, love and pain blend together, connects worlds that would otherwise never speak the same language…

The reverse side of the coin, designed by medalist Jiří Hanuš, DiS., is dominated by the monumental statue of Christ the Redeemer. In the surrounding relief, which is richly colored, you will find a feathered carnival dancer, Copacabana Beach, and the cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain. The obverse side designed by Asamat Baltaev, DiS. which is common to the entire series of travel coins, features the flags and landmarks of world capitals such as Prague, London, Hong Kong, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, and New York. Since the Czech Mint’s coins are issued with a foreign license from the island of Niue, the obverse side also bears its national coat of arms, the nominal value of 5 DOLLARS (NZD), and the year of issue 2026.

The weight of coins is three troy ounces – for the first time in the history of the Czech Mint. The package includes an illustrated brochure.