2008 Norway 200 Kroner Silver Proof Coin "Henrik Wergeland 200 Years"

Description

Mint: Mint of Norway
Denomination: 200 Kroner
Quality: Proof
Issue limit: 40,000 pcs.
Alloy: 92.5% Sterling Silver
Diameter: 32 mm
Weight: 16.85 grams
Artist: Enzo Finger/Ingrid Austlid Rise
Box/Capsule: Yes/Yes
Certificate: Yes
This coin celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Norway's national poet, Henrik Wergeland.
Henrik Arnold Wergeland (1808-1845) is seen by many as the symbol of the patriotic movement that started growing in Norway in the early 19th Century. The son of a preacher man, Wergeland spent parts of his childhood at Eidsvoll, where the Norwegian Constitution was signed in 1814. His opposition to the Danish dominance over Norwegian culture made him one of the ideological leaders of a young nation trying to find a national identity.
Wergeland fought his whole life an unfair battle for religious tolerance, freedom through knowledge and popular education, equality between nations and between the different social layers in society. Most of all, he fought for human consideration.
After a year of illness, Wergeland died a young man in 1840. Some of his best-loved books were written in the final year of his life.
The reverse is designed by Enzo Finger, and depicts Henrik Wergeland's glasses and signature. The obverse features a portrait of King Harald V modeled by Ingrid Austlid Rise.