The Slovak silver euro coin with the motif of Jozef Dekret-Matejovie was minted in standard quality to the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the forestry pioneer.

Jozef Dekret-Matejovie was born into the family of a Slovak forester in 1774. He followed in his father's footsteps and entered the forest service himself - from a simple journeyman to chief forester, and finally to forest judge. He quickly realised that the forests of Banská Bystrica were facing many problems. Several centuries of intensive mining, metallurgy and glassmaking had devastated the local landscape and no one cared about reforestation. Natural regeneration through planting was totally inadequate, so Dekret promoted planned planting, which he actively carried out himself. "Preserve the forests for posterity, for they are a prerequisite for sustaining life on Earth," declared the progressive forestry builder, who believed that what is harvested should be returned to nature. Nor was he indifferent to the situation of the people who worked in the forests. He taught conservative loggers who refused to let go of the tried and tested axes to use new methods and, with the help of Austrian workers, overcame their resistance to sawing. He thus increased the efficiency of their work and also created social funds for them. His work was followed by a number of successors, and by the beginning of the 20th century the whole area had been reforested...

The reverse side of the coin is dominated by a portrait of the forester, supplemented with his name and the years of his life - JOZEF DEKRET MATEJOVIE, 1774-1841. The additional motif of the reverse side is the summer rings and the silhouette of a conifer tree, which, together with the seedling, can also be found on the obverse side. The composition of the coin is completed by the inscription SLOVENSKO (SLOVAKIA), the state emblem, the nominal value of 10 EURO and the year of issue 2024. All this is the work of the medal maker Mgr. Art. Martin Sabol.

The coin was minted by the Kremnica Mint and issued by the National Bank of Slovakia.