Obverse: The national side of the coin depicts a child standing on a map and pointing towards the starry sky. The map represents the work of Belgium's National Geographic Institute, while the stars symbolize the astronomical research conducted by the Royal Observatory of Belgium. The child embodies curiosity, the pursuit of knowledge and the role of future generations in scientific progress. The design includes the names of both institutions in English, the country code “BE”, the year 2026, mint marks and the twelve stars of the European Union.
Reverse: The common side of the 2 euro coin features a map of Europe, the denomination “2 EURO” and the twelve stars of the European Union.
About the coin: The 2026 Belgium 2 Euro commemorative coin celebrates two significant scientific anniversaries: the 50th anniversary of the National Geographic Institute and the 200th anniversary of the Royal Observatory of Belgium.
Established in its current legal form in 1976, the National Geographic Institute produces topographic maps, maintains geographical information and supports accurate mapping of Belgium's territory. The Royal Observatory of Belgium, whose history dates back to 1826, conducts astronomical and geophysical research, contributing to our understanding of the Earth and the universe.
The coin's design brings these two fields of knowledge together. The map represents the exploration and understanding of our planet, while the starry sky symbolizes humanity's quest to discover the universe. The child standing between them represents future generations of scientists and explorers.
Struck in Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) quality, the coin is presented in an original Royal Mint of Belgium numismatic coin card. The total mintage of the BU coincard edition is limited to 125,000 pieces.
