Since 1989, the Day of Hungarian Culture has been celebrated on the 22^nd of January, and since 2022 it has been an official commemoration day, recognised by the state. It was on this day that Ferenc Kölcsey revised the manuscript of the Hungarian Hymn. The Magyar Nemzeti Bank has issued a number of commemorative coins to honour this special day over the years.

The Hungarian Hymn

In 1823, on this day, Ferenc Kölcsey revised the manuscript of the hymn as part of a larger manuscript in Szatmárcseke. Six years later it was published in the journal Aurora, without the "From the stormy centuries of the Hungarian people" subtitle. In the poet's first volume, published in 1832, the subtitle is present under the poem.

Issued Kölcsey commemorative coins

The anniversary, as a theme, also inspired the Magyar Nemzeti Bank, which issued a 500-forint silver commemorative coin in 1990 to mark the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Ferenc Kölcsey. The first line of the hymn, in cursive letters, is in a semicircle at the top of the thematic page, while in the centre is a portrait based on a painting by Anton Einsle, and below it is a pen representing poetry. The lower part of the coin bears the name of the poet, the year of his birth and death in cursive on a semicircle: “KÖLCSEY FERENC 1790-1838”.

In the January of 2023, the 200^th anniversary of the writing of the Hungarian Hymn gave the Magyar Nemzeti Bank the opportunity to issue a commemorative silver coin with a face value of 15,000 HUF and a non-ferrous metal coin with a face value of 3,000 HUF. The designer, Tamás E. Soltra, also used Anton Einsle's portrait of the poet, painted in 1835, for the obverse. The name of the poet is concealed in his clothing, and the pen, which is a reference to his poetry, is also visible. The title of the work, Hymnus, and the year of its creation, 1823, are written in the spelling of the period under the portrait. On the reverse, the typical landscapes of Hungary are shown in a circle: Tihany, Lake Balaton, Szigliget, Esztergom, the Danube’s Bend, Eger and Tokaj. In the middle, Kölcsey's tomb in Szatmárcseke can be seen. In the inner circle, in the same spelling as in the original manuscript, is a line from the poem.

The musical composition

Naturally, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank also issued a commemorative coin in honour of the composer. In 1844, a competition was launched to compose the National Anthem, which was won by Ferenc Erkel. According to a well-known anecdote, however, the music for the Hymn was composed when Erkel's son told him at home that they had learned about the Austrian hymn, the French hymn, at school, and the composer wrote the music for Kölcsey's poem in response.

In 2012, the Fundamental Law declared that "the national anthem of Hungary is Ferenc Kölcsey's Hymn with music composed by Ferenc Erkel". The music was first performed at the National Theatre on the 2^nd of July of the same year, conducted by Erkel, the theatre's conductor and composer. The first official state ceremony the piece was performed on was on the 20^th of August in 1848.

On the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of the death of Ferenc Erkel, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank honoured the composer with a 10,000 Hungarian forint gold commemorative coin in 1993. The obverse bears Erkel's signature and the reverse a portrait of him by László Kutas.

On the occasion of the 175^th anniversary of the composition of the Hymn, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank issued commemorative coins with a face value of 20,000 HUF and 3,000 HUF in 2019.

On the front, Kölcsey's portrait, based on an oil painting by Anton Einsle and a lithograph by Franz Eybl, the first verse of the Hymn and the poet's name are shown. On the back, Gábor Kereszthury has modelled his portrait of Erkel on the portrait by József Pataki and the stone print by Ágoston Canzi. On the left is the composer's name and on the right is an excerpt from the score of the Hymn.