The Hungarian National Bank issued special forint coins today

To mark the 200th anniversary of the initiation of education for the blind in Hungary, the Hungarian National Bank (MNB) has released commemorative coins: a silver coin with a face value of 20,000 forints and a coloured metal coin valued at 3,000 forints, the institution announced to MTI on Tuesday.

The country’s first nationwide institution dedicated to teaching children with severe visual impairments began its work in Hungary in 1825, following a decision by the parliament in Pozsony. It was during these years that Louis Braille developed his eponymous raised writing system for the blind, which by the turn of the century had become internationally renowned. Hungary’s school for the blind also adopted Braille reading and writing around this time, the statement recalled.

The bank elaborated that, in honour of this bicentenary and in recognition of the institution’s devoted efforts in educating visually impaired children, the MNB is issuing a silver commemorative coin with a denomination of 20,000 forints, alongside a coloured metal version valued at 3,000 forints. These commemorative coins were designed by sculptor Mercédesz Dorisz Molnár.