Saxony-Anhalt

A north-east view of Magdeburg Cathedral. At the bottom centre: the name of the federal state 'SACHSEN-ANHALT' and the mint mark ('A', 'D', 'F', 'G' or 'J'). Above to the left: the year '2021'; to the left: the country code 'D'; to the right: the interlocking initials 'MO' of artist Michael Otto.

Magdeburg Cathedral is one of the oldest Gothic sacred buildings on German soil. The foundation stone for the current building was laid in 1209, after an earlier Ottonian-era cathedral had burned down. It was not completed until 1520 — a construction period of over three centuries reflected in the mix of Romanesque foundations and predominantly Gothic forms. Emperor Otto I, who resided in Magdeburg in 936 and made the city the centre of his imperial policy, is buried there; his tomb in the cathedral choir is regarded as one of the most important royal monuments of the Middle Ages. As an episcopal see and starting point for the Holy Roman Empire's eastward expansion, the cathedral shaped not only Magdeburg but the entire region east of the Elbe for centuries.

As a federal state, Saxony-Anhalt brings together historical core regions that carried considerable weight in German history: the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, the Duchy of Anhalt, parts of the County of Mansfeld, and the Harz region with its medieval mining tradition. Luther was born and died in Eisleben, and the Luther memorial sites in Wittenberg are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Romanesque Road links more than 80 buildings from the 10th to the 13th centuries, including Naumburg Cathedral and the collegiate church of Gernrode. As the twelfth and final issue in the German Federal States series, the 2-euro commemorative coin for Saxony-Anhalt appeared in 2021 — a fitting conclusion to a series that began with Schwerin Castle and ran through all sixteen states.