500 Koruna 1997 - Pieniny National Park (BK)

The Pieniny National Park (PIENAP), located to the northwest of the High Tatras, is renowned for its monuments of history and art, unique folklore, architecture, distinctive nature, and beautiful landscape. Rare flora, fauna, and the silhouette of the Pieniny mountain range in the area of the Dunajec river canyon have already attracted botanists, zoologists and geologists in the eighteenth century. Their effort led to the establishment of the National Park Pieniny in Poland, and the Slovak National Reserve Pieniny in 1932. This was the first bilaterally protected area in Europe. The Slovak part of this reserve was declared a national park in 1967. One of three national nature reserves in the Pieniny National Park, is the passage of the Dunajec river through its canyon, and rafting on this part of the river is an unforgettable tourist attraction. Obverse: The obverse of the coin bears an image of the butterfly Papilio machaon, the coat of arms of the state, the name of the state Slovenska republika and the year of issue 1997. Reverse: The reverse of the coin shows a fragment of the wings of a butterfly, the pictorial motif of the Pieniny National Park - the Dunajec Gorge, the name Pieninsky narodny park (Pieniny National Park) and the nominal value of the coin.