Artist and teacher at the School voor Jong Talent Tim Breukers has designed the Market Garden Five Euro commemorating Operation Market Garden, one of the largest Allied operations of the Second World War.
Breukers was inspired by embroidered badges and emblems that caught his attention when he visited the Airborne Museum Hartenstein in Oosterbeek. He applied the various types of stitches in his design for the commemorative coin, which he drafted with an embroidery machine at the Textile workshop of the KABK:
Tim Breukers about his design
“The parachute on the reverse of the coin depicts the largest airborne operation ever on Dutch territory. The plan of the Allies consisted of the airborne operation Market and the ground offensive Garden. British, Polish and American airborne troops would take important bridges over Dutch rivers, after which ground troops could quickly advance from Belgium to the IJsselmeer via these bridges.
Also featured on the reverse of the coin is the bridge over the Rhine near Arnhem, to give the partial failure of the operation its place on the coin. The Allies failed to capture the bridge over the Rhine near Arnhem, as a result of which a large part of the Netherlands was not liberated until after the Hunger Winter.
The execution of the coin comes very close to the design in terms of appearance. The story of Operation Market Garden is told in this design through the iconography and through the material, so Market Garden comes tangibly close.”
The 5 euro commemorative coin will be minted in a number of 60.000 pieces, while there will be a silver and a gold collectible editions. The ceremonial First Strike is planned for September 21, during one of the commemorations of the Operation Market Garden.
