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The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has officially approved the updated graphic design of the national side of Bulgaria's euro coins, the institution announced. The sole modification to the earlier version is the change in the year of issuance, which is now set for 2026. The design of the two-euro coin will feature the image of Paisius of Hilendar and will include the inscription "GOD PROTECT BULGARIA".
Euro coins consist of two sides – a common European side and a national side that reflects the issuing country. Bulgaria's national side will follow the standard requirement of displaying a circle of 12 stars, as seen on the EU flag. It will also include the word "BULGARIA"/ "БЪЛГАРИЯ" in Cyrillic script to indicate the country of origin. A distinctive feature of the Bulgarian two-euro coin will be the edge inscription, which reads "GOD PROTECT BULGARIA" / "БОЖЕ ПАЗИ БЪЛГАРИЯ" in one direction and the same phrase in reverse on the other half of the edge.
In addition to the required elements, optional inscriptions have also been chosen. The 1 and 2 euro coins will include the word "euro" / "евро" in Cyrillic, while the 1 cent coin will carry the word "stotinka" / "стотинка", and the 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cent coins will feature "stotinki" / "стотинки" in Cyrillic script.
As for imagery, the one-euro coin will depict Saint John of Rila, the two-euro coin will feature Paisius of Hilendar, and the remaining denominations – from one cent to fifty cents – will show the Madara Rider. These images are consistent with those currently used on Bulgarian circulation coins.
The common side of all euro coins, designed by Luc Luycx of the Royal Mint of Belgium, depicts representations of the European Union or the continent of Europe, symbolising European unity.
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